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Brandon McMillan (born April 29th, 1977) in Trenton, New Jersey is an American Emmy Award winning television presenter, animal trainer, animal behaviorist and author, best known for his role as host and trainer of the Emmy award winning television series "Lucky Dog" on CBS.
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Early Life
Brandon McMillan was born April 29th, 1977 in Trenton, New Jersey. Brandon McMillan was born with animal training in his blood. His father and uncle were both renowned exotic animal trainers in the entertainment industry. As a child Brandon was raised around a variety of wild animals including big cats, bears, primates and elephants.
Career
As a child McMillan was surrounded by exotic animals of every kind. From big cats to bears to primates to elephants, Brandon learned the art handling and training all animals by working with his family. At 18 he moved to Los Angeles to work with his uncle at one of the most known animal training companies for film and television (Hollywood Animals) working at the company for 15 years. The company had everything from big cats to bears to dogs. In 2009 he hosted the Animal Planet series "NIGHT" where he traveled the globe in search of nocturnal behavior of the world's most dangerous animals. In 2010 he opened a dog boarding and training facility outside of Los Angeles. It was here he began his work training service dogs and therapy dogs. Brandon also has been a dog trainer to the stars for most of his career. Some of his clients include: Ellen Degeneres, Andy Cohen, Don Cheadle, James Caan, Hugh Hefner, Ronda Rousey, Wolfgang Puck and Kate Hudson. McMillan has worked in over 30 countries throughout his career.
Lucky Dog
In the winter of 2012 McMillan was discovered by Litton Entertainment. CBS Daytime eliminated their Saturday morning cartoon lineup and were in search of more all aged based programming. After meeting with dozens of dog trainers, Litton met with McMillan and liked his methods and dog training curriculum immediately. McMillan would rescue unadoptable dogs deemed "untrainable" from city shelters, rehabilitate, train them and find them forever homes. Many of these dogs would become therapy and service dogs for disabled people. Production for "Lucky Dog" began in the spring of 2013 which showcased McMillan's love for rescuing dogs and giving them a purpose in life. "Lucky Dog" premiered in the Fall of 2013 on CBS Dream Team. The show was an instant success receiving rave reviews from critics. In 2015 McMillan won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Lucky Dog" for best host for a lifestyle series. In 2016 "Lucky Dog" won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Series.
Shark Week
Brandon also hosts a continuing documentary on Shark Week called "Great White Serial Killer" where he investigates shark attacks along coastlines where attacks are common. Although a lot of controversy was in the title, several top marine biologists praised the documentary. McMillan has been diving with sharks for most of his career
Personal Life
Brandon lives bi-coastal between Los Angeles and New York City. He is the author of his book: "Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days" (HarperCollins) which is a self help book for dog lovers. He also founded a foundation called: "The Argus Service Dog Foundation" where he trains service dogs to assist disabled veterans. He has a chihuahua named Lulu. In his free time McMillan loves scuba diving and surfing.