D'Elle Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 I just got this cross-post from a member of my Freestyle club, and thought it was of interest. Not meaning to open the whole Cesar Millan discussion again...just thought it would be of interest to those of you who may not have seen it. FYI > Posted with permission from the AVSAB. > Please share with others. > > AVSAB Letter to Merial > > Dear Dr. Line, > > The executive board of the American Veterinary Society of Animal > Behavior is deeply troubled to learn that Merial, a leader in the > veterinary healthcare industry, is using Cesar Millan in a promotional > campaign for Heartgard and Frontline. We are even more disturbed to find > that Merial i s cross-promoting Mr. Millan's behavior video as part of > this campaign. Merial's executives may not be aware of the fact that the > American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB), the American > Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and the Society of > Veterinary Behavior Technicians (SVBT) have uniformly spoken out against > the punishment-based techniques employed by Mr. Millan on his television > show "The Dog Whisperer." > > At best, the show is entertaining but misleading to pet owners. At > worst, Mr. Millan's techniques and misinformation have contributed to > increased aggression and anxiety or resulted in physical injury to the > pet and/or pet owner. As practicing veterinarians, we all unfortunately > have seen many cases of the latter. Merial claims to "enhance the > health, well-being, and performance of animals." The use of Mr. Millan > as part of an advertising campaign speaks otherwise. > > In these difficult economic times, it may be understandable that Merial > would want to use a "celebrity" to advertise its products in a > direct-to-consumer fashion. However, had Merial taken the time to > investigate, it would have found that Mr. Millan's philosophy runs > counter to the standard-of- care promoted by veterinary behaviorists and > taught at veterinary schools. > > We are deeply saddened that Merial's executives are not more supportive > of the veterinary behavior community and its efforts to promote > knowledgeable, scientifically- based, humane training methods. > > We remain concerned that your company's support of Mr. Millan's > controversial training methods through the distribution of his video and > financial support of his show will contribute to the number of difficult > dogs and injured owners that we have to eventually console, counsel, and > reeducate. Perhaps Merial would like to support our efforts to > counteract the negative impact of this unfortunate marketing choice that > may ultimately serve to alienate educated veterinarians, dog trainers, > and owners alike. > > Sincerely, > > E. Kathryn Meyer, VMD (President) > John Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB (Immediate Past President) > Karen Sueda, DVM, DACVB (President Elect) > Kari Krause, DVM > Kelly Morgan, DVM > Valli Parthasarathy, PhD, DVM > Sophia Yin, PhD, DVM > Laurie Bergman, VMD, DACVB > > Posted with permission from the AVSAB. > > For the source of this article: See: <http://www.avsabonl ine.org/> and > < > http://www.avsabonl ine.org/avsabonl ine/images/ stories/Current_ Events/meriallet ter6-10.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Wow, interesting. I was unaware that Merial was using Milan as a spokesperson, but then I quit using Frontline some time ago when it stopped working for me. Good for the vet behaviorists for speaking up. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokjbc Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 At least they aren't using Jon Katz . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've never agreed with Cesar Millan's show or methods. People here call me a Dog Whisperer because I talk to my dogs that way however I don't like being associated with Dog Whisperer even if it is mean as a compliment. On a personal note I remind everyone that TV is a medium for entertainment. Do not expect to receive anything of educational value from any program that dramatizes what they are trying to teach you. e.g. All the programs talking about earthquakes do is hand you scary stuff on a platter along with a tiny bit of science. Beware Junque Science, like the Dog Whisperer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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