Media maven and dog lover Oprah Winfrey shares that she has owned over 21 dogs since becoming a pet owner. However, being a dog mom hasn’t come without its challenges.
At one point, two of the mogul’s dogs were at odds for over a decade, leaving her frustrated as she tried to maintain peace in the house. She even created barriers to keep them from being in the same room.
Winfrey’s relief came when she met Cesar Millan, the renowned dog whisperer, who transformed the household dynamic.
Recently, Millan revealed how he helped “The Color Purple” producer, explaining that while Oprah commanded authority with her staff, she was at the beck and call of one of her larger dogs, who controlled the behavior of everyone in the house, both human and canine.
While promoting the fifth season of his ABC show, “Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog,” Millan spoke about how helping his most prominent client changed his life.
“When she had her show, she was this confident woman,” he recalled in an interview with TV Insider. “However, when she was around a dog, it became a source of fear. It is very powerful to help a woman who is such a confident leader with humans but not with dogs.”
Millan also spoke to Page Six in April, recalling a memorable moment in his career, and said, “To work with Oprah after she was having problems for 11 years.”
He explained, “She had her house like maximum security… because she had a separation between the cocker spaniel [Sophie] and the golden retriever [Luke]. That was 11 years of a bad habit that we were able to change.”
Oprah’s bond with Sophie was particularly deep.
In 2011, she shared, “One of my greatest teachers was my dog, Sophie. Sophie lived for 13 years and came to work with me every day. She was there for every show, backstage at the Oscars and the Emmys, even waiting in the car if I went to the gynecologist.”
“Stedman said she had an inferiority complex, but I don’t think so. She was so attached to me that if I left her in a hotel room for even five minutes, I’d walk down the hall and she’d start howling,” she said, before continuing, “She had this separation anxiety that if she wasn’t around me, she’d howl like a wolf. So many times I thought I was going to get kicked out of hotels. But I had deep love and affection for my little Sophie.”
Oprah added, “It wasn’t until she passed away that I truly understood the depth of my love for her. … When I lost her, I realized that no one on earth had ever loved me like that little dog.”
Perhaps you should watch some Cesar Millan videos. Oprah Winfrey had a similar problem with her dog, Sophie.💙
— Priscilla Gray (@PriscillaAGray) November 5, 2020
Ironically, the OWN founder was never allowed to have a dog as a child, which made her love for them even stronger. Having Millan help her with Sophie and Luke was a gift she repaid by featuring him on her Emmy-winning show.
In addition to crediting Oprah as one of the celebrities who helped boost his career, the Mexico native also revealed that actor Jada Pinkett Smith played a pivotal role in his success.
In an interview on “The Adam Carolla Show” this summer, Millan shared how in the 1990s Pinkett Smith saw him working with a rottweiler and said, “When I get a dog, I would like you to train mine.”
She kept her word and contacted him months later.
Millan added, “I said I wanted my own TV or radio show to teach people. But she said, ‘For that, you need to speak English,’ and paid for a teacher to help me learn English for a year.”
This experience paved the way for him to host “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan” on the National Geographic Channel as well as work with celebrities like Queen Latifah, Vin Diesel, and Nicholas Cage.
