Cesar Millan talks no-kill and more

So, naturally, when it comes to stubbornly high animal and euthanasia numbers in San Antonio, the so-called Dog Whisperer believes the solution lies within.

“World transformation begins with self-transformation, so one person can make a difference,” Millan said by phone.

He added, “It’s just awareness and working together. ... We all join in to the benefit of a cause. Well, the cause here is to control the animal population.”

Millan will speak and answer questions at Lila Cockrell Theatre on Saturday. His appearance is billed as the highlight of Dog Awareness Week, a public awareness initiative that coincides with five days of dog shows at the Convention Center beginning Wednesday.

The River City Cluster of Dog Shows partnered with the city this year to reinforce a message of responsible pet ownership — a state of mind that officials say is essential to stop the killing of healthy, adoptable animals by 2012.

More than 5,600 dogs and cats have been euthanized this year. In a mostly Hispanic city with more than 700,000 animals and a lackluster sterilization rate, officials are hoping Millan, a Mexican immigrant, will prove an inspiring presence.

Millan was raised alongside pigs, cows and chickens on a farm in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. By the time he was 13, locals had nicknamed him “El Perrero,” or “The Dogman,” because canines appeared drawn to him.

At 21, Millan rode a bus to Tijuana with $100 in his pocket and paid someone to lead him across the border. Living in South Central Los Angeles, he read dog psychology books and garnered a reputation for controlling packs of dogs, he said.

“It’s funny, because South Central Los Angeles is the ’hood, right? And people said, nobody’s going to come here,” he said. “Sooner or later, limos (started) arriving with dogs from Beverly Hills.”