Dog expert Cesar Millan comes to Sarasota

Even when he was a child working on his grandfather's farm in Mexico, Cesar Millan was known for his affinity with animals.

When he came to the United States 25 years ago, he got a job as a dog groomer and later, with some help from actor Jada Pinkett Smith, became well-known as a dog trainer in Los Angeles.

Now he's the nation's, and probably the world's, most famous expert on canine psychology.

Millan is coming to town on Thursday, for an appearance at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. He'll be bringing along his most famous dog, Junior the pit bull, as well as with some other dogs.

The stage show covers a lot of the same territory as Millan's most well-known TV show, "The Dog Whisperer," which ran for eight years on the National Geographic Channel and National Geographic Wild.

Millan will share his philosophies of dog training, and offer live demonstrations.

One advantage of the stage show over the TV shows is that the audience will have a chance to ask Millan questions about dealing their own dogs during a Q&A session.

Details: 8 p.m. March 26, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets: $46-$71. Information: 941-953-3368, vanwezel.org.

-- Marty Clear

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Dog expert Cesar Millan comes to Sarasota ."