Thanksgiving Down Under
By Cesar Millan
I’m a little sad that I missed out on my American Thanksgiving this year. Down here in Australia, it’s the middle of spring, which feels strange for November. But even if I missed out on all the turkey and stuffing, I haven’t forgotten how thankful I am for the love and support of my family, both here and at home, and to be with my pack—all the wonderful people who help me do what I love: teaching others to be pack leaders so they can help their dogs lead fulfilling lives.
Just like Thanksgiving is for humans, feeding is a very social activity for dogs. Feeding fulfills every part of them—body, heart, mind, and spirit. It can help them feel connected to their family and give them a high level of satisfaction. And like the early Thanksgiving festivals were a reward for the hard work of the harvest, food is a reward for your dog’s work. Dogs may not have to hunt to eat anymore, but even asking your dogs to wait patiently is part of making them work for their food. When you challenge your dog to maintain a calm-submissive state, you can reward him or her for a job well done. (Click here to see my feeding tip videos.)
Speaking of jobs well done, I am also thankful for two very dear friends of mine, Cheri Lucas and Martin Deeley, both frequent contributors to CesarsWay.com. Cheri mentored with me many years ago. Today, her nonprofit rescue, Second Chance at Love Humane Society, is working hard to create balanced dogs with loving homes. Martin’s International Association of Canine Professionals was a tremendous help at this year’s National Pack Walk Event.
There’s another pack I’d like to mention, and that’s my pack behind the scenes—all the people who keep Cesarsway.com up and running. I’m thankful for their dedication, loyalty, and energy, which have made Cesar’s Way the number-one dog site on the Internet. Traffic to the site has doubled over the last few months and continues to increase. We’ve seen fans become more engaged, recently passing the 1.6-million mark on Facebook. This would not have been possible without my office pack. A big thanks to each and every one of you for your hard work. I can’t wait to reward my pack by cooking for them when I get back home.
And, of course, I am thankful for all of my fans all over the world—on every continent (including Antarctica!). Their support and encouragement through the years has been invaluable, and I love having the opportunity to travel the globe to meet them. Of course, it’s a big planet, so I haven’t been to every country yet, but I’m working on it.
So I spent this Thanksgiving in Adelaide with my international live tour family (French Canadian, English, Australian, Spanish, and American) and being thankful for our very successful tour. Thousands of people are understanding how important it is to live by the principles of life—honesty, integrity, loyalty—and also the understanding of what makes a dog unstable—incompatible energy, lack of fulfillment, and your own energy. I’m very thankful that the people in Australia (and eventually the world) will consciously understand that their dogs are a mirror of their knowledge. So let’s toast to a knowledgeable dog lover world.
I hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving with your loved ones, and that you took a moment to remember all the ways your dogs have helped you and what they’ve taught you about love, loyalty, and honesty. Let your dogs know how thankful you are to have them in your life by taking a nice, long walk outside and enjoying Mother Nature together. This time spent living in the moment will be appreciated more than any fancy toy or expensive treat, by you and your dog both. I hope everyone had a happy, grateful Thanksgiving.
