Jamaican ‘dog whisperer’ has lifelong love for pooches

When Kevorn Ellis was denied the opportunity to enrol in the country's military, he pivoted and followed his passion for animals.

The 33-year-old is dubbed the 'Dog Whisperer', and has spent every day since 2009 training dogs and teaching citizens to create meaningful relationships between man and pup.

"My dream was to be a soldier and I went to [Up Park] Camp just after I left high school. They wanted TRN (taxpayer registration number) and NIS (National Insurance Scheme) [number] which I didn't have, and they sent me to get it. But I didn't go back. Growing up, I always had a lot of dogs around me. From I was three, I have always been walking with dogs. So it was just a natural instinct to just do something with dogs," the Anchovy, St James, native said.

Ellis has received on the job training from working with his friend David, who is also a dog lover.

"He taught me a lot and I started training dogs for canine rentals and from that I started doing my own thing," Ellis related. But this decision proved futile as he was not able to yield profits.

"I just stopped with that because people didn't want to pay. It was then my friend from Sweden came back to Jamaica about four years ago and I started to do training again," he said. Ellis also received formal training from a canine programme in Canada, earning a certification in protection. He is currently doing a course in protection.

"The main experience I had was with David but growing up I always watch [world renowned dog trainer] Cesar Milan; that's the biggest dog trainer in the world. He's really the dog whisperer," Ellis chuckled. The Cambridge High School graduate said he was first called the dog whisperer by Tami Browne, from the Montego Bay Animal Haven, based on his natural interaction and communication with the animals.

A typical day sees Ellis training various breeds of dogs, including the Jamaican terrier, commonly known as mongrels, in basic obedience, walking correctly on a leash, and protection training. He dons protective gear and does not shy away from injuries associated with his job.

"Me get my belly bite out already, me get dog hold on pon me hand, pon me foot, all bout. It's just the love of it, especially to see aggressive dogs that the owners can't manage, and fixing those dogs so that the owners can have nice communication. I love it, I wouldn't trade it for the world," he told THE STAR.