Cesar Millan Sued In Pit Bull Attack

A woman is suing Millan claiming he prematurely released pit bull from training.

esar Millan, the star of television’s "The Dog Whisperer," is being sued by a woman who claims she was attacked by a vicious pit bull that had been prematurely released by Millan's dog training center.

The woman, a critical care nurse in Florida, claims she suffered "disfiguring open wounds, deep muscle and tendon lacerations" and bone fractures in the Sept. 23, 2014, attack, just six days after the dog had been released by Millan's Dog Psychology Center.

Attorneys for Alison Bitney said in the complaint that she permanently lost feeling and function in her left hand after the attack at the dog owner's home in Santa Clarita. She is seeking punitive damages.

Jen Woodard, the director of the Dog Psychology Center, said in a statement that Millan never had contact with the dog and never trained the animal.

He may have never personally trained the animal, but he may have had others working under him. I wonder how much work they did with the animal??? I'll be interested to know. I did see a video of him what looked to be punching a dog in the throat for eating, or jabbing, and it quite disturbed me. He was "training" the dog. I kind of understand what he was doing, but for me, it was still disturbing.

In 2006, a television producer sued Millan and claimed his dog was injured after being suffocated by a choke collar and forced to run on a treadmill at the training facility.

Choke collars should be outlawed!

Attorneys also contend that the director and head trainer at the Dog Psychology Center acknowledged that the pit bull was "not ready to be released to a home environment" and needed an additional 18 months of rehabilitation.

released the known vicious and dangerous pit bull

LoL like one of those bolded words wasn't enough to make the point they were trying to make...


They may as well have filled that sentence with as many adjectives as possible to really hammer home the narrative they're trying to push.


I'd like to hear the whole story to be honest.


Maybe the dog attacked her for nothing...

Maybe it didn't.

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs

released the known vicious and dangerous pit bull

LoL like one of those bolded words wasn't enough to make the point they were trying to make...


They may as well have filled that sentence with as many adjectives as possible to really hammer home the narrative they're trying to push.


I'd like to hear the whole story to be honest.


Maybe the dog attacked her for nothing...

Maybe it didn't.

I don't think all pit bulls are these mean vicious little beasties the media makes them to be. It's possible she adopted this dog with issues and Millan came in to help and the animal was returned to soon as everyone seems to agree to in the article. I'm sure she'll get medical, and probably pain and suffering.

I saw it on Drudge and they had it as if it was this major drama. You should see the headline on Obama....OY! He made reference to the Crusades and Christianity when talking about IS (now I hate Obama, so take this in context), the headline on Drudge...
"Terrible Deeds In The Name of Christ!" I love you Drudge. I find some of my best stuff from you. LOL But, ummm, yeah, Christians are IS now. LOL

Sorry back on topic. Yeah, I think this is probably a sweet dog once he/she gets the right training. Sounds like they're going to hold onto him for about 2 yrs. Millan is usually pretty good and if the owner won't take the dog back, he usually adopts them himself. I'm the same way. If I find a stray, and I can't find his owner, and I can't rehome them, I'll adopt them myself usually. I truly hope they can help this dog, and that this woman is able to heal from her injuries as much as she can.

There are usually some pretty clear instructions that go with the dog, too, if it has severe issues. Were there instructions and did the owner follow those?

originally posted by: ketsuko
There are usually some pretty clear instructions that go with the dog, too, if it has severe issues. Were there instructions and did the owner follow those?

Unfortunately the article doesn't mention those, (I didn't know about that!), but we may learn more if the news follows the lawsuit.

a reply to: Anyafaj

They're not really...


I mean when they are vicious, there is no point in keeping them.


But that's rare with Pet Pits as opposed to dogs that are Owned and mistreated...


I couldn't say statistically that a minority of all Pits are dangerous...

But when cared for properly it's definitely rare for them to lash out unprovoked.



& seriously, if the dog was supposed to be destroyed put down before he was given this second chance...

That's a bit fishy to be honest.

If he was definitely dangerous enough for them to make that decision in the first place, it should have happened.



Strange story either way.

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs
a reply to: Anyafaj

They're not really...


I mean when they are vicious, there is no point in keeping them.


But that's rare with Pet Pits as opposed to dogs that are Owned and mistreated...


I couldn't say statistically that a minority of all Pits are dangerous...

But when cared for properly it's definitely rare for them to lash out unprovoked.



& seriously, if the dog was supposed to be destroyed put down before he was given this second chance...

That's a bit fishy to be honest.

If he was definitely dangerous enough for them to make that decision in the first place, it should have happened.



Strange story either way.

I agree. Also, some of the way they worded the story was odd in my opinion. Sometimes it almost sounded as if they were talking about two different pits. I was a Journalism minor/Education Major in college. I had been on every school paper since 6th grade. I wear my class ring with an old fashioned typewriter with pride. Some of the stuff that passes for journalism nowadays makes me want to hang my head in shame.

Let's try and clear this somehow and wade through the sludge.


The Millan center says Millan hadn't a chance to treat the dog yet. She took it home to soon. Essentially she got antsy and got tired of waiting, it's her own fault she got bit.

Jen Woodard, the director of the Dog Psychology Center, said in a statement that Millan never had contact with the dog and never trained the animal.

She said the dog's owner had removed the pit bull "against the strong advice and objection of his trainer." After the attack, the pit bull was returned to this center where it was placed in quarantine, Woodard said.

But this time Millan and his center is being accused of negligence for prematurely releasing a pit bull with a known history of attacking people and other animals.

The canine, named Gus, was seized and impounded in Texas in 2013 and was found to be a danger to the public and ordered destroyed, according to the complaint.

Now, did Texas agree to allow Millan to rehabilitate the dog as a "last chance" stay of execution?

"When the dog's owner fell behind on monthly payments to keep it housed at the Dog Psychology Center, the center prematurely released the known vicious and dangerous pit bull back into the public domain and entrusted it to someone with no training or experience in the handling of vicious and dangerous dogs," the complaint said.

She's saying they gave the dog back to her after she couldn't pay the monthly payments anymore. It seems they're saying she's a moron who took it home too early. I guess we'll find out which because NOW the dog is BACK at Millan's for another 18 months. Is she paying THIOSE 18 months too? Or is that gratis? And does she still owe the arrears?

If you actually find a good article with the full story, the dog had issues in the past (it has attacked before) and the Milan Center offered to train it to save the dog from being destroyed. Cesar did not personally work with the dog, I am assuming that center must be very big with lots of trained workers to interact with the dogs.

The owner stopped paying for the treatment and the Center said they would not keep treating the animal if she didn't. Essentially the dog should have been delivered to a vet to put the dog down, but the owner took the dog home.

The dog then attacked the owner's friend in her own house.

This is not Cesar's fault. This is not the Center's fault. This is completely the owner's fault.

a reply to: ArnoldNonymous

"Thereafter, Cesar Millan and his Dog Psychology Center, agreed to take over custody and control of the pit bull and not to release it until it was "fully deemed a safe member of society,"

If this is true... Then it's definitely the Center's fault.

Their recommendation...
Their custody...
Their decision to allow the dog back into the community because money money money was obviously more important than their proposed intentions of helping the dog...

Totally their fault.

originally posted by: ArnoldNonymous
If you actually find a good article with the full story, the dog had issues in the past (it has attacked before) and the Milan Center offered to train it to save the dog from being destroyed. Cesar did not personally work with the dog, I am assuming that center must be very big with lots of trained workers to interact with the dogs.

The owner stopped paying for the treatment and the Center said they would not keep treating the animal if she didn't. Essentially the dog should have been delivered to a vet to put the dog down, but the owner took the dog home.

The dog then attacked the owner's friend in her own house.

This is not Cesar's fault. This is not the Center's fault. This is completely the owner's fault.

Apparently this lady is not just suing Millan, she is suing the planet and everyone on it!

I'm suing you, and you, and you, and um, you, and um, that guy, hiding over there in the corner!

Bitney says the center released the dog into her friend's care prematurely and is suing the center, Millan, her friend and a previous rescuer

Alison Bitney was visiting a friend in California in September 2014 when the dog named Gus--which had a documented history of aggressive behavior--savagely bit her left arm, which has left her hand with no feeling or function.

Bitney filed suit in California against her friend John Vazzoler, the Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita, Millan and a rescuer who'd previously saved the dog from being euthanized following an attack in Katy, Texas in February 2013.

The dog had previously been sentenced to die by a Texas judge in February 2014 after he attacked a trainer named Amber Rickles. The canine was in her care after its owner surrendered him for being 'nervous, growling and doesn't like children,' according to Bitney's suit.

'With the pit bull still attached to her left breast, Ms. Rickles backed into a laundry room where the dog released his grip, enabling Ms. Rickles to close the door. The pit bull then broke through the door and attacked Ms. Rickles a third time, latching onto her left arm and breaking it in two places,' reads the suit as obtained by Courthouse News.

Bitney says Romano appealed to the judge, who allowed Gus to live so long as Milan's Dog Psychology Center then agreed to take the pit bull and rehabilitate it at Millan's center, according to the 27-page lawsuit.

However, Rickles claims the dog owner fell behind in payments to the center and was 'entrusted it to someone with no training or experience' on September 17, according to the suit.

However, the Dog Psychology Center tells the LA Times that Gus left the facility 'against the strong advice and objection of his trainer.'

Obviously this dog has been incredibly vicious before. Incredibly seems a small word in this case, but I'm going with it here. As for Millan, it doesn't say HOW LONG the dog was in his care. A couple weeks, months? Between filming shows, rescuing other dogs, training other dogs, I'm sure he's very busy. If this dog was in his care a short time, he might not have gotten to it yet. Was, or do they, have contracts with a set date that say the animal will be trained by such and such time? Because if he violated the contract, perhaps the owner felt within their "right" to get the animal back, right or wrong. Court wise, I don't think this dog is going to get a third chance. If he/she does, it will be a miracle.

a reply to: Anyafaj

Ok...Whoaaa!!

First of all, choke collars should not be outlawed. A proper choke collar does no harm to the dog what so ever....ZILCH! If you have the proper collar any canine will submit with no pain. Remember, I said a proper choke collar, not chain. There's a humongous difference.

Second of all, good luck to the completely ignorant woman winning any kind of monetary damages against Ceasar!

Third...do you own any animals and if so..what kind (I'm just curious).

Fourth, everyone on the planet are not automatically entitled to own a pet.

Fifth, if you decide to own a pet especially any type of animal that's powerful (including any type of dog breed, not just pit bulls), you better dam well know how to care for and train that animal....or else it may be your neck!

Sixth, if you own any type of canine you should know what they need and be prepared to offer those needs unconditionally. If you don't have the time or patience then carry around a god damed doll!

1-6 is like raising a child. Maybe not so dangerously, but love, compassion and patience. It's all involved

If you don't have 1-6 then


If you still don't get any of that then


And go punch the wall for being an absolute loser

a reply to: Anyafaj

Yeah but if this is true: She said the dog's owner had removed the pit bull "against the strong advice and objection of his trainer."

Then this is the owners fault.Which the law looks at it as ultimately the owners anyway.You, by rabies law are supposed to have complete and total control over your dog at all times.

Now if Milan's place said the dog was all good and released the hounds,(sorry) then its on them for releasing it too soon. But if the owner took the dog out against their advice,then its on her or him.

originally posted by: ThePublicEnemyNo1
a reply to: Anyafaj

Ok...Whoaaa!!

First of all, choke collars should not be outlawed. A proper choke collar does no harm to the dog what so ever....ZILCH! If you have the proper collar any canine will submit with no pain. Remember, I said a proper choke collar, not chain. There's a humongous difference.

Second of all, good luck to the completely ignorant woman winning any kind of monetary damages against Ceasar!

Third...do you own any animals and if so..what kind (I'm just curious).

Fourth, everyone on the planet are not automatically entitled to own a pet.

Fifth, if you decide to own a pet especially any type of animal that's powerful (including any type of dog breed, not just pit bulls), you better dam well know how to care for and train that animal....or else it may be your neck!

Sixth, if you own any type of canine you should know what they need and be prepared to offer those needs unconditionally. If you don't have the time or patience then carry around a god damed doll!

1-6 is like raising a child. Maybe not so dangerously, but love, compassion and patience. It's all involved

If you don't have 1-6 then

If you still don't get any of that then

And go punch the wall for being an absolute loser

All choke collars I've seen look like torture devices. It's my own personal opinion that they be banned. Don't worry, I promise not to go running making any laws.

As for your third, I own a dog and a cat.



Fourth I agree. A pet is a privilege. Not a right. I firmly believee pets come into our lives when we need them most.

Fifth, Again, why are you arguing with me??? I only shared an article that I'm thus far agreeing with YOU on??? I'm kind of lost here....



Sixth...

a reply to: Anyafaj

the problem i see with pit bulls is they have been inbred for so long the dogs are becoming unstable. pit bulls at one time were a great dog. now? not so much. people want the look. the large jaws, broad shoulders, and lots of aggression. i admit it is a beautiful animal. i would not own one.

as stated already in this thread, anyone who takes a large strong animal should be well versed in the care and maintenance of such an animal. some large animals just aren't meant to be a family pet. it breaks my heart to see a large dog in an apartment or enclosed in a small yard. they need room to run. cooped up in my opinion only adds to the madness in the dog. i know after a weekend of rain, i get cabin fever. just think what a dog's mental state is after years of it.

i know there are some very good and responsible pet owners. those of you who take their dog for walks (and pick up their droppings. to those of you who pick it up a big thank you!), they take them to the vet regularly, and takes them to places where they can run around like they are built to do. great for the mental and physical health of your pet.

here is a good article that speaks about in breeding from the pit bull registry.

pitbullregistry.com...

originally posted by: subfab
a reply to: Anyafaj

the problem i see with pit bulls is they have been inbred for so long the dogs are becoming unstable. pit bulls at one time were a great dog. now? not so much. people want the look. the large jaws, broad shoulders, and lots of aggression. i admit it is a beautiful animal. i would not own one.

as stated already in this thread, anyone who takes a large strong animal should be well versed in the care and maintenance of such an animal. some large animals just aren't meant to be a family pet. it breaks my heart to see a large dog in an apartment or enclosed in a small yard. they need room to run. cooped up in my opinion only adds to the madness in the dog. i know after a weekend of rain, i get cabin fever. just think what a dog's mental state is after years of it.

i know there are some very good and responsible pet owners. those of you who take their dog for walks (and pick up their droppings. to those of you who pick it up a big thank you!), they take them to the vet regularly, and takes them to places where they can run around like they are built to do. great for the mental and physical health of your pet.

here is a good article that speaks about in breeding from the pit bull registry.

pitbullregistry.com...

I have a dog that is part Parson Jack Russell. They are runners. She LOVES the outdoors and I live in an apartment. We go out every hour or every other hour, depending on her nap schedule to do for a walk. Sometimes she even convinces me to do a fast walk/slow jog. Which I'll do for a bit till it aggravates my asthma. I'll do it anyway though because I love her and I know she needs the exercise. Pus, in the long run, the exercise is healthy for my body. It's half past 5am and she got me up a half hour ago because she had to go to the bathroom and a walk. I wasn't thrilled at her timing, but anymore than we can help midnight potty breaks, they can't either. I'm going back to bed here shortly. LOL

a reply to: Anyafaj

I have a dog that is part Parson Jack Russell. They are runners. She LOVES the outdoors and I live in an apartment. We go out every hour or every other hour, depending on her nap schedule to do for a walk. Sometimes she even convinces me to do a fast walk/slow jog. Which I'll do for a bit till it aggravates my asthma. I'll do it anyway though because I love her and I know she needs the exercise. Pus, in the long run, the exercise is healthy for my body. It's half past 5am and she got me up a half hour ago because she had to go to the bathroom and a walk. I wasn't thrilled at her timing, but anymore than we can help midnight potty breaks, they can't either. I'm going back to bed here shortly. LOL

you are one of the responsible pet owners. i hope others see your work and follow your lead.

a reply to: Anyafaj

Just a pit doing what a pit does. It's in their dna to be killing machines. Doesn't matter who owns them. It's their predisposition. Oh, but they're so sweet, right?

It doesn't matter what breed the dog is. Cesar doesn't make any guarantees. No dog trainer does. If people aren't satisfied, they might be able to get their money back for the training, but that's about it.

Cesar is not currently working as a dog trainer. He is a dog psychologist (which is nothing more that a person who is good with dogs). There is no schooling required. People use his services at their own risk. I'm sure his legal team has all this covered. He works with troubled dogs - dogs who bite, attack, are fearful or otherwise out of balance.

The dog was obviously a danger before it went to the center (or he wouldn't have been involved at all). He tried to help and for whatever reason, the help was cut short. This lawsuit will go nowhere. I'm sorry the dog bit someone, but under the circumstances, You can't just reach out and find someone to sue. If anyone should be sued, it's the owner of the dog, not the one person who had a chance of helping the dog.

I happen to love Cesar Millan. I've watched him for many years and read all his books. I credit him and his philosophy for the wonderful temperament of my dogs. Because I raised them from puppyhood, they have never had ANY behavioral issues. Exercise, discipline and affection. Rules, boundaries and limitations. All make for a happy and balanced dog.

a reply to: Dimithae

But the dog was in the Center's custody...

They didn't need to voice concerns...

They could have told her to stay off the property and not let her anywhere near the dog.



Not sticking up for the owner at all here, but I'm not going to take away the responsibility that the Center bears either.