C.J.: Doggone it, anyway! Cesar Millan missed out on 'good walleye'

"The Dog Whisperer" was hoping Minnesota could help him with a fish problem he had in Wisconsin.

Cesar Millan made a guest appearance at Friday's Home For Life gala at International Market Square (IMS) in Minneapolis. The care for life animal sanctuary, www.homeforlife.org, is a Minnesota corporation with a facility in Star Prairie, Wis.

At a post-gala reception, Millan had only one regret about this trip.

"I didn't get to eat good walleye yet. I ate a walleye in Wisconsin and it was not too good," he said, with an expression that made me glad I was running video. "I'm looking forward to coming back to Minnesota and eating good walleye."

Millan also renewed acquaintances with Little Cesar, a Chihuahua born without front legs whom "The Dog Whisperer" named after himself in June, when Millan shot photos to promote this event. Rick LaVerdiere, husband of Home for Life director Lisa LaVerdiere, was worried that Little Cesar might urinate on Big Cesar, but that didn't happen.

Neither did something else. "One of his goals for 2007 is to work on his public speaking, so he wanted to do a speech," Lisa told me Wednesday about Big Cesar.

Unless I only dreamed that I was at IMS the whole time Millan was on stage, he didn't give a speech, did he?

"No, not really," Lisa said.

Baby steps. He was on stage. He thanked the Troy, Mich., jeweler who made Millan a special bracelet, and he expressed appreciation for the warm reception that he always receives from Minnesotans. Maybe next time Millan will deliver a short speech.

Pet parade

Home for Life galas are a dog's night-out event for some of its inhabitants who are there because they have a range of emotional, medical and physical issues, just as people do.

The event opened with about 15 animals taking stage, as "Who Let the Dogs Out?" played, under the watchful eyes of volunteers who included students from Boys Totem Town. Lisa LaVerdiere teaches the young men at the St. Paul juvenile correctional facility to train the young dogs for obedience and help other dogs get certified as therapy pets.

No-bones bidding

Scott Coran understands the rules of contributing an auction item; however, his girlfriend does not.

"One, you don't bid on your own; two, you don't outbid yourself," said Coran of the Minneapolis graphic design studio Coran Visual.

I came up with a concept for a Yorkie doghouse, which I built with Coran, that was auctioned off at the Home for Life benefit for $600. (We're splitting the cost of materials. A special thanks to my Strib co-worker Ron Pfannsmith, print buying assistant in composing, who got me veloxes on the double when Coran came up with the idea that we should papier-mâché the doghouse. Thanks to Minneapolis artist and character Aldo Moroni for letting us build the house at his Northeast studio/gallery space.)

Imagine Coran's surprise "when I walked back to the table and all these people are looking at me like, What's going on here?"

It took Coran a few minutes to get the 4-1-1 that, while he was away from his table, the winning bidder on our doghouse was his girlfriend. And her name is ... "just put J period Jones," Coran said. "You really want me to get in trouble. I'm still dating her; I want to keep my body parts."

Here's the kicker. "WE DON'T HAVE A DOG," Coran said.

Maybe this was J. Jones' bid for another surprise.

Top doghouses

Only one doghouse was better than ours. It was the "dachshund-specific Bow Haus" designed and built by Ellerbe Becket architect Robert Rothman. He was assisted, an ever so tiny amount, by his girlfriend, FOX9's M.A. Rosko, whose dog Münter demo'd how a pet should lounge on the rooftop green area. It went for $550.

Ron Schara's house went for the most -- $800. Raven, the star of "Minnesota Bound," clearly put more effort into its construction than did Ron.

Who is she?

When video from the Home for Life event is posted this morning at www.startribune.com/videos, I would appreciate help identifying one woman at the event.

We've got history. It started at Tina O's party. She wanted to give me information but not her name.

That wasn't acceptable, so I left her alone and never thought of her again until she came up and Hollywood-kissed me Friday. I can tell she's someone who really wants her name in the column; she's just playing difficult.

By the way, this stranger-kissing-me-nonsense needs to STOP. Immediately.

Wolfgang, meet Frida

Wolfgang Puck got a private showing of the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Walker on Wednesday.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. More of her attitude can be seen on FOX 9 Thursday mornings.