Dog Whispering: Theology of the Dog Whisperer

Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel stars dog behavior expert Cesar Millan— the “Dr Phil” of canines.
Every episode features Cesar rehabilitating aggressive, scared, lazy, compulsive, or jealous dogs.The show inadvertently illustrates a theological point.
Episode after episode shows how dogs react negatively to the distorted lives of their human masters. A recurring theme is the failure of humans to assume a dominant role in relation to their pets.
Episode 19, for example, focused on a Doberman’s neurotic response to its owner’s divorce and the subsequent development of an unhealthy emotional dependency between master and dog.The theology in all of this is that in the Book of Genesis, God gave mankind dominion over animals. Ancient Jews looked around though, and saw large numbers of wild and not-so-wild animals who weren’t playing by the rules. They explained the contradiction by saying that when mankind rebelled against the created order, animals followed suit. Mankind left its place and so did the animals.I think they were right.Dysfunction begets dysfunction. The brilliance of Whisperer is it addresses the dynamic of being “out of place” in relationships between humans and their pets. Many pet owners have confused their place in the natural scheme of things and their pets have become confused as well. Both the pets and the pet owners are miserable.So Cesar makes one point over and over again. “A disciplined pet is a happier pet.”Disciplined lives and well-ordered souls are not burdens— they are blessings.dog_girl.jpgWhen humans mess up their lives, they mess up the lives of others as well— even their pets.