How I Turned a Childhood Tragedy into Triumph
We All Have a Story, a Reason, or a Cause Behind What We Do in Life.

I strongly believe: You need brains, heart, or at the very least, drive to succeed in life. And sometimes, all it takes a heart-wrenching experience, a feeling, or the joy that comes when making a difference in your line of work.

—Kevin "The Dog Prodigy"

When I was about twelve years old, we had a yellow Lab that my father named after the star of the TV show, “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.” Since my brothers were too young to pronounce or remember Tin Tin, we settled for Tan Tan instead. He truly was a very loving and loyal dog. Like most Labs, he was always happy, hyper and goofy as he could be.

We had to leave town for a few days. Since we couldn't take him, 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 our dog while we were away.

Just like any untrained dog, Tan Tan would act unruly every time our neighbor dropped by to feed him. He kept jumping all over him and his kids. This resulted in them getting dirty, muddy and scratched up. One day, he really got fed up with all this, grabbed our shovel, and slammed it across Tan Tan's head. This blow was so severe that it caused a hemorrhage in his brain.

When we arrived, we were surprised. None of us could hear Tan Tan’s usual happy yips and yelps. He was known to scratch and jump at our gate impatiently the minute he heard us nearby. 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.

Poor dog wanted to see us so badly that he somehow managed to drag himself from the center of our yard to the gate, where he died waiting on us. I remember his paw prints in the snow... which halfway became sliding marks. We couldn't stop crying. Our loyal dog did whatever it took to drag his half-dead body just to see us one more 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 witnessed him pacing back and forth, whimpering and howling day and night. They weren't sure whether his barking was due to being sad, or if he was in physical pain. They saw his dish full of food, just how we left it. Folks, our dog was slowly dying from pain and sorrow.

You can imagine how devastated we were. As a kid, it affected me in ways I never imagined. At first, I thought of our neighbor as an “evil, cold-blooded person.” I know now that he obviously got fed up with our dog constantly jumping on him and knocking down his kids.

And when I think about it today, the whole sad and senseless loss of a dear pet could have been avoided with a little training.

Man's Best Friend. Myth or Reality?

You've probably heard the saying, “Dog is a Man’s Best Friend” and I couldn’t agree more. After all, just look at how your dog greets you every day. Do any of your loved ones greet you like that? It is a happy, real, and genuine love that is impossible to fake. Ever since we lost Tan Tan in such a tragic manner, I developed a very strong love and devotion towards dogs. I found myself reading about dogs, rescuing them, volunteering in shelters, assisting dog schools, and fostering those in need of loving and responsible pet owners.

There are thousands of stories about dogs' unconditional love and loyalty. One that comes to mind is of a dog in China that refused to leave his owner’s grave for a week. When the locals noticed a dog kept vigil next to an unmarked grave, they felt bad and started bringing him a crate, water and food.

Another great tale is the story of Hachi. The owner of a loyal Akita took the train to work daily. Every day the dog would manage to get out of the yard, walk all the way to the train station, and wait until his owner returned. The family tried to keep him locked in the yard, but Hachi always found a way out.

One day, the dog sensed something and continued barking to keep his owner from leaving for work. Well, that also was the day Hachi’s owner died of a sudden heart attack. The family decided to sell the house and move to another city. The daughter of the family tried to adopt him, but Hachi always kept getting out and found his way to the train station, going to his favorite spot, waiting patiently for his owner’s return.

This went on for days, weeks, months and even years. Yes, folks. To be exact, it went on for ten long years. Here was a dog barely moving, old, stiff and living in the streets, but no matter what, he always made it to the train station hoping to see his owner somehow show up once again. Some of you already guessed what’s coming next; he died waiting in his favorite spot. Wow. If that is not loyalty, I don’t know what is.

Richard Gere gave an outstanding performance in the movie about Hachi. So did the dogs. You really see life from a dog’s point of view and the facial expressions of the dogs even caught me by surprise. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading the book yet. But if you want a good story, one that will have you choking up, a real tear jerker, hands down, this is one of them. (I have nothing against Marley, but this too was a true story, and far deeper.)

Now, I don’t advocate everyone buying or adopting an Akita. Just as I didn’t understand when everyone started buying Chihuahuas after that Taco Bell commercial aired, or Dalmations after the release of 101 Dalmations. Ironically, all three of these breeds are very difficult to manage and train—especially for those of you who are first time dog owners.

I also fell in love with Jack London’s books. He truly related to dogs and understood them in a much deeper level. Part of the reason London described 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.

Trust me; it would be impossible to describe the love of dogs and their loyalty in such great detail without being involved with them on a personal level. You always can spot a true dog lover. That is how I felt as I read Jack London’s books—as if I were in the company of another individual who understands and agrees that dogs truly are a man's best friend.

More Heart-breaking Experiences that Changed Me:

Have you ever found yourself in a shelter full of caged-up 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 and pacing back and forth? How about the ones that kept standing on their hind legs begging you to rescue them?

Did the ones in the back, shivering from fear and no sense of hope, get your attention? Maybe it wasn’t their personality to be loud, persistent or as hyper as the other dogs. Or maybe they totally gave up trying. Some of them just hoped that you might, just might actually notice them more if they were calm, quiet and steady.

Folks, I've witnessed all of this and far worse when I was volunteering in shelters. It pains me just to think of this harsh reality; let alone having to go through the whole experience of it. Even tough-hearted people find themselves tearing up.

Why do these dogs have a twenty-four-hour tag on their cages, you ask? Because there is just no more space, no more budget, and no more people who are interested or able to adopt all of them. So instead, they became the victim of a process: kill them with lethal injection to make room for the new dogs. How sad!

Many of you may find this hard to grasp, but in Sacramento alone, if you count all shelters, the ASPCA, and all the pet clinics, there are at least one hundred dogs being put down on a daily basis. You read it correctly—one hundred PER DAY! And if you took a closer look at their files, you couldn't help but notice that in most cases, the poor dogs were rarely at fault. In fact, they all ended up on death row because of their owners’ ignorance, poor judgment, following the wrong training method, or giving up too soon. Many ended up there because of a weak economy and the mortgage crisis.

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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 too hard for me to accept or even to wrap my mind around. You’re probably wondering, “How can they be so cruel?" Or, "Aren’t they supposed to all be dog lovers?” Folks, being a dog lover has very little to do with it.

As I mentioned earlier, this is because there is no time or staff to take care of a pregnant dog, let alone raise those harmless cute puppies. This is the harsh reality that millions of dogs face every day, and it’s happening not only throughout the U.S, but all around the world.

I was raised in a culture that men don’t cry, but I fight my tears whenever I witness these dogs on death row. If I could, I would take every one of them home with me and give them the love, attention, and proper training that they all need and deserve. About seventy percent of the reasons why these dogs end up in these situations is because of the owners’ lack of commitment, poor judgment, ineffective training method, and, of course, failing to spay and neuter their dogs in a timely manner. As you can see-

It's NOT About the Money or Fame for Me...
It is and Has Always Been About the Dogs!

Read Kevin's Full Biography

Kevin Salem is considered to be one of the brightest minds in the world of dog training. It’s hard to paint his image with the same brush as other experts, as his "Diverse Method" and unique way of training and writing 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, he has successfully trained thousands of dogs worldwide, earning him the title as, “The Dog Prodigy.” Regardless of your dog’s age, temperament, or previous history, you’ll find his diverse approach to work against tough odds, making him a true pioneer in his league.

He is famous for accepting challenging cases that the majority of dog schools and trainers turn down, or just 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 applying different methods of training. To expand his knowledge, he studied the strengths and weaknesses of numerous methods. Completing the content of this book took more ten years of hard work and raw determination. Besides attending many seminars on different types of training, Kevin has read over two hundred books in the subject of dog training, canine behavior, dog psychology and breed characteristics.

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 techniques in a smart, humane, yet effective way to get better, faster and long-term results, you are exactly who he is looking for. Make a difference today by joining this organization. Visit www.JoinIDTF.org (Coming Soon)

If you are passionate about working with dogs, Kevin also teaches field workshops on how to become an accomplished trainer. He is a prominent speaker, whose seminars are guaranteed to take your knowledge and abilities to an entirely new level. Kevin has an uncanny ability to communicate with people and their pets. His sessions are always fun and productive.

He thrives to help you become an effective leader with your dog. This explains one of his famous quotes: “I’m not the trainer. You are! My job is to help and teach you every step of the way so you can become an effective teacher of your dog. Once I am out of the picture, your dog should respect and listen to YOU.”

Kevin currently operates Dog Secrets in northern California where he offers house calls not only throughout the US, but all around the world. You may also send your dog to his popular program, the Doggie Boot Camp, currently only available in Sacramento CA.