Dog Whispering: Lakeland Teen Tuned Into Her Canine Partners

By Gary White
The Ledger

Katherine "KT" Spencer is not loyal to "The Dog Whisperer." The TV show, she says, contains too many commercials, which "get on my nerves." But those who know the Lakeland girl describe her much as others describe Cesar Millan, the uncannily effective dog trainer featured on the National Geographic Channel program. KT's obedience-class teacher calls her "a natural," saying the 12-year-old understands that a dog whisperer must first be a dog listener.

"You have to learn to read your dog, and that's (a) thing KT is good at," says Kitty Thompson, a member of the Imperial Polk Obedience Club in Lakeland. "She's good at reading (her dog) Luke's moods, and dogs are like people -- they have good days and bad days."