Eugene Weekly’s Pets 2009
Thinking About Getting a Pet? Adopt.
No Dogs Allowed It’s not easy to rent with pets
How Now, Pet Cow? Miniature cattle aren’t just for eating
Saving Sick Pets Local groups raise funds for pet medical bills
From El Diablo to El Ángelito? Did the Dog Whisperer tame the wild Chihuahua?
Ask the Dogcatcher LCAS’s Kylie B. answers all your dog and cat questions
Too Much of a Good Thing What do shelters do with pregnant strays?
Something Not to Sneeze At Is there really such a thing as a hypoallergenic pet?
From El Diablo to El Ángelito?
Did the Dog Whisperer tame the wild Chihuahua?
words and photo By Camilla Mortensen
Lane County’s baddest Chihuahua is back in town. El Diablo, once slated to be put to sleep for his viciousness at Lane County Animal Services, took time out from his busy schedule of TV shows and Hollywood parties for a mid-July visit to his former home at Luv-A-Bull Pit Bull Rescue.
 |
| Rich Mercer and El Diablo |
Once the terrorizer of pit bulls 20 times his size at Liesl Wilhardt’s rescue, El Diablo didn’t give the anxious drooling pit bull pacing a nearby enclosure even a glance as he trotted after Wilhardt and his new owner Rich Mercer. Nor did he give this reporter anything more than a casual sniff before going on his doggie way — sniffing stuff, chewing some grass and casually barfing it back up. Pretty good for a dog that LCAS had to lock in a kennel within a kennel to keep him from attacking any unsuspecting humans.
Last year, after rescuing El Diablo, though she had made progress, Wilhardt found herself unable to fully control the 3-pound doggie devil. She called on top-dog trainer Cesar Millan of National Geographic Channel’s show The Dog Whisperer for help. During the filming of the episode “Chihuahuas from Hell,” Millan decided to bring the dog back to his Dog Psychology Center in L.A. for more work and even brought him into his own home.
Mercer, location manager and a dog handler for Millan, bonded with El Diablo as the dog toured and filmed episodes last year, and he adopted the dog. “He’s a lifelong project,” Mercer says. With ongoing training, El Diablo is now a “balanced dog,” and he appears on many episodes of the popular TV show. “He’s called upon to walk past the ‘bad dogs’ for the bad dog B-rolls,” Mercer says. El Diablo ignores the dogs while they bark and growl, showing their aggression before Millan works with them. “He’s come a long way,” says Mercer, holding the reformed dog as El Diablo licked his nose.
“They were calling him Sammy,” says Wilhardt, “because Cesar believes in positive energy, but Diablo really seems to fit him.” She says, “They haven’t tried to change his personality. Diablo is still Diablo, but he’s less fearful, more outgoing. He enjoys life more. But he still acts like a Chihuahua.”
One of the best things about Diablo’s happy ending, says Wilhardt, is that “it’s enabled the rescue to help more dogs.”
After the “Chihuahuas from Hell” episode aired, rescue groups in L.A. contacted Luv-A-Bull, and the rescue started up a program bringing Chihuahuas and other little dogs up from L.A., spaying and neutering them and adopting them out in Oregon where smaller dogs are less common in shelters. Other local rescues have followed suit.
“Also, other L.A. rescues have contacted Luv-A-Bull as a result of the show,” says Wilhardt, who has taken in exceptional pit bulls from L.A., such as Rakim (renamed Morgan Freeman), an elderly pit that retired from Millan’s pack to live out his days at Luv-A-Bull.
The most recent rescue is Hope, a sweet-tempered pit bull that was found on the streets of L.A., skinny, with oozing sores and signs of recently having had puppies. The puppies were never found. Hope was sponsored by Katherine Heigl of Grey’s Anatomy and movie fame, who paid for her spay and medical care and had her sent to Luv-A-Bull to find a home.
To apply to adopt Hope, or any of our cover puppies (adoptable through Luv-A-Bull which paid for their care and medical bills), go to www.petfinder.com/shelters/OR182.html or email Wilhardt at lieslw@rio.com
El Diablo, however, is not up for adoption. The former terror has now been tamed and has found his forever home.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519