(Turning Tragedy into Triumph!)

Kevin's Remarkable and Touching Story that Started it All

I must have been about twelve years old. We had a yellow Labrador Retriever who my father named after the star of the TV show, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Since we couldn't pronounce or remember Tin-tin, we settled for Tan-Tan instead. This dog was very loving and loyal to all of us. Just like most Labs, he was always as happy, hyper and as goofy as he could be.

At one point, we had to leave town for a few days and unfortunately we couldn't take him with us. So in a last-minute arrangement, my dad asked one of our neighbors to watch him for us. The neighbor agreed that he and his kids would drop by to feed and check on him while we were gone.

Just like most untrained dogs, Tan Tan became very hyper, happy and physical every time the neighbor dropped by. He jumped all over him, which resulted in our neighbor getting dirty, muddy, scratched up and, in some cases, knocked over. One of those days, he finally got fed up with this and grabbed our shovel and slammed it across our poor dog’s head. This blow was so severe that it caused a hemorrhage in Tan Tan’s brain.

When we arrived, all of us were surprised that we didn’t hear Tan Tan’s usual happy yips and yelps... you know, the kind that just about any dog makes while greeting you. My dad tried to push the gate open but noticed it was stuck. With a few more attempts, he finally managed to push it open only to find Tan Tan’s lifeless body pressed against our gate. Our poor dog wanted to see us so badly that he somehow managed to drag his dying body from the center of our yard to the gate, where he died waiting on us. I’ll never forget the image of his paw prints in the snow which stopped halfway and became sliding marks. The poor dog desperately dragged his half-dead body to our gate just to greet us one last time.

That was the first time I ever saw my dad cry. Another neighbor told us later how hard it was watching Tan Tan suffer. He said the poor dog was pacing back and forth, crying and howling day and night. They didn’t know whether his crying was due to him missing us, or if he was in some sort of pain. They noticed his dish was still full of food, just how we left it. It was obvious. Our poor dog was dying from pain and sorrow.

You can imagine how heartbroken we were. As a child, it definitely affected me. At first, I thought of our neighbor as an “evil cold-blooded person.” I know now that he probably was not a bad guy, but was simply trying to stop an unruly dog from jumping up on him. The whole sad and senseless loss of a dear pet could have been avoided with a little training. Of course, our dog didn’t know any better and did what came to him naturally. Now I know that it was OUR responsibility to teach him how to greet visitors politely.

Man's Best Friend. Myth or Reality?

They say that dogs are “Man’s Best Friend” and I couldn’t agree more. After all, look at how your dog greets you every day. Do any of your loved ones greet you like that? It is happy, real and genuine love that is impossible to fake. From that day on when we lost Tan Tan in such a tragic matter, I developed a very strong love and devotion toward all dogs. I found myself drawn to dogs, reading about them, rescuing them, volunteering in kennels and shelters, assisting dog schools, and fostering in an effort to find them loving and responsible owners.

I also fell in love with Jack London’s books in which he relates to dogs and wolves with passion and understanding. Part of the reason London describes dogs and their loyalty so well is because at one point in his life, he was homeless and literally lived with stray dogs on the streets and under bridges. You see, it would be impossible to describe the love of dogs and their loyalty in such great detail without being involved with them on a much deeper level. Somehow, you always know when you meet a true dog lover. That is how I felt as I read Jack London’s books—as if I was in the company of another dog lover.

More Eye-opening Experiences That Changed My Perspective:

Have you ever found yourself in a room full of caged-up barking dogs that have less than twenty-four hours to live? Have you had them lick your fingers through the fence, look you in the eye, and keep on barking, howling, panting, whimpering, pacing back and forth? How about the ones that kept on standing on their hind legs begging you to rescue them from certain death?

Did the ones lying in the back, shivering from fear with no more hope or energy left in them get your attention? Maybe it wasn’t their personality to be loud, persistent or as hyper as the others, or maybe they just hoped that you would notice them better if they were calm, quiet and steady? I witnessed all of this and far worse when I was volunteering in animal shelters. It pains me every time I think of the harsh-reality of those shelters, let alone experience it with my own eyes.

Even tough-hearted dog lovers find themselves tearing up. Why do these dogs have a twenty-four hour tag on their cages? It's simple. Because there is just no more space, no more budget, and no more people who are interested or WILLING to adopt them.

So it's easier to kill them all with a lethal injection to make room for the new dogs every day. How sad! You may find this hard to grasp, but in Sacramento alone there are around two hundred dogs put down on a daily basis. You read it correctly—two hundred PER DAY!!! Clearly, when you really think about it the poor dogs aren't at fault here. This is another example of people’s ignorance and irresponsibility. Sadly, some lately have been due to the mortgage crisis and the high level of home foreclosures throughout the U.S.

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Did you know that if you take a pregnant dog to a shelter,
it could get euthanized due to lack of space or lack of volunteers?

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That was another shocking reality that was too hard for me to accept or even to wrap my mind around. You’re probably asking yourself, “How can they be so cruel? Aren’t they supposed to be dog lovers?” Folks, being a dog lover has nothing to do with it. As I mentioned before, this is because there is no time or staff to take care of a pregnant dog, let alone her pups.

Yes, this is the harsh reality of millions of dogs every day, not only throughout the U.S, but all around the world. If you are a dog lover, a true dog lover, this reality can't help but make you devastated.

I was raised with the tradition that men don’t cry, but I fight my tears and feel that lump in my throat every time I find myself in front of bunch of dogs on death row. If I could, I would take them all home with me and give them all the love, attention, and proper training they deserve and need. Ninety percent of the time, these poor dogs end up in shelters in the first place because of the owners’ lack of knowledge, commitment, dedication and training method, not to forget their failure to spay and neuter their dogs in a timely manner.

It is Not All About the Money or Fame for Me... It is About the Dogs!

KEVIN'S BIOGRAPHY

Kevin Salem is considered to be a prominent philosopher and one of the brightest minds in the world of dog training. It’s hard to paint Kevin’s image with the same brush as others, as his unique way of "Diverse Method" and philosophy, makes him very distinct.

Ever since he was young, Kevin has been able to relate and communicate with dogs in a very special way. You know when you meet a natural. We’ve all seen one. These individuals are rarely taught, but rather born. In over two decades of working with different breeds, he has successfully trained well over 10,000 dogs worldwide, earning him the nickname,“The Dog Prodigy.”

Kevin has an uncanny ability to communicate with dogs, while making his training sessions fun and simple for the owners AND the dogs. Regardless of your dog’s age, temperament, or previous history, you’ll find that his“Diverse Method” has proven to work against tough odds.

He is one of those rare experts in his field who has the knowledge and the expertise to accept challenging cases that the majority of dog schools simply don’t want to deal with. We are referring to “red zone dogs,” and those already given up on by many trainers, veterinarians and even animal behaviorists. He is proud of saving hundreds of these dogs from abandonment, shelters, or worse, euthanasia.

Kevin gained his experience from studying and practicing different methods of training. To expand his knowledge even further, he also compared the strengths and weaknesses of different theories from more than a hundred books on dog training, dog behavior, and canine psychology.

Mr. Salem is the president and founder of IDTF (International Diverse Trainers Federation). This organization unites trainers from all over the world who believe and follow the “Diverse Method.” If you are a trainer with an open mind who combines different methods to get better, faster and long-term results, you are exactly who they are looking for. Make a difference today by joining this free organization at www.JoinIDTF.org (Coming Soon)

If you are passionate about working with dogs, Kevin also teaches field workshops on how to become an effective leader. He is a prominent speaker whose sessions guarantee lots of fun, laughs and valuable lessons. As he says, “I’m not the trainer. You are. I am simply the instructor who will help and teach you to become an effective owner. Once I am out of the picture, your dog should respect and listen to you.”

Kevin currently operates his school, Dog Secrets, where he offers house calls not only throughout the US, but around the world. You may also send your dog to his most popular program, the Doggie Boot Camp.