“Birds fly, bears growl and dogs bark. That’s how things are!”
This seems to be the favorite refrain of dog owners in Mexico when neighbors complain about the noise.
I may tend to believe it in regards to birds and bears, but when it comes to dogs, my mind immediately goes back to many delightful episodes of the TV series “The Dog Whisperer,” where I sat in open-eyed wonder watching Mexican-born César Millán perform what truly seemed like miracles, over and over. The mild-mannered, unflappable Leader of the Pack would knock on a door and, when it opened, we would be introduced to the meanest four-legged monster that ever trampled upon the surface of the Earth. Then we would meet the dog’s owners: trembling, distraught and frequently bleeding from their ogre’s latest love bite.
César would simply smile, explain that it was just a case of energy somehow misplaced. He would then make an unexpected little sound like “psst!” which had the most extraordinary effect upon the dog. By the end of the show, the rabid monster had turned into a cuddly teddy bear, its owners staring in wide-eyed amazement and gratitude at the wonderful change.
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