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Cesar and Swimming Dogs

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Love him—or not so much—Cesar Milan has made a huge impact on the visibility of dogs in the media. My mother introduced me to his show when I was visiting her in Champaign, Ill. She was glued to the National Geographic Channel all day long, watching one show after another—and she doesn’t even own a dog!

Then I watched long, long lines form at his Global Pet Expo booth whenever he was there to sign autographs or give a talk. Whether you subscribe to his philosophies or not, he is a popular figure. So it was cool when I got to meet Cesar’s former director of operations, Stacey Candella, who happens to live down the road from me in Colorado. I met her through my good friend Heidi Flammang Ganahl, founder of Camp Bow Wow and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Stacey founded Pets911.com and has devoted her life to helping shelters and rescue organizations reach their maximum potential. She recently left Cesar Milan Inc. to move back to Scottsdale Ariz. to start a new doggie-oriented business venture, but is still consulting for Cesar through the end of the year.

Out of curiosity for both myself and my readers, I asked her what Cesar will be doing in the future. Some of the stuff she told me was confidential, like what is happening with his products in Petco, and as much as I’d like to share it with you guys, I’d probably get in big trouble if I did! But, here’s what she told me that has been cleared for print:

• A new magazine—Cesar’s Way—is coming out in the next few months.
• A new book about raising puppies—How to Raise the Perfect Dog—comes out in October. In it, Cesar takes his readers through puppyhood using several puppies that he actually raised himself over the last year. It promises to give insight on understanding what is going on in their minds and how best to raise them.
• Season 6 of The Dog Whisperer is currently in production and will premiere either late September or early October
• The Dog Whisperer was recently nominated for a third Emmy.

• The show is currently airing in over 80 countries. It's apparently huge in Sweden and Spain.

• Cesar Milan Inc. is currently finishing construction on the new Dog Psychology Center on 45 acres in Santa Clarita, Calif.

I’d be interested in hearing from you if you think that Cesar’s high profile and TV show is good or bad for your business? Either post a comment or write to me at carol@carolfrank.com.
 
As I’ve mentioned, I live in one dog-crazy town, Boulder, Colo. So it didn’t surprise me to discover that at the end of summer, Boulder opens one of its largest public pools to the dogs. At the annual “Dog Dayz of Summer” at the Scott Carpenter Pool, the rules are flipped: No humans allowed in the water. The six lane, 50-meter pool is all for the dogs from August 23 through Labor Day.

The City of Boulder charges $5 a dog, and last year they had over 700 dogs go through the gates. This could be an interesting opportunity to partner with your city’s pool, raise money for a good cause and gain great exposure for your store.

Carol Frank’s consulting firm, Birdseye Consulting, can be found online at www.carolfrank.com.

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