LUCIANO AGUILAR
Luciano Aguilar did not always have a love and passion for dogs. Ironically, throughout his entire childhood, he was actually afraid of dogs. Aguilar's childhood fear stemmed from his limited and mostly negative, exposure that included being barked at, chased and cornered by dogs. However, as a young adult, this long-lived fear was overcome when Aguilar joined the United States Air Force at the age of 18. In the Air Force, he served five years of his 10-year term as a Military Working Dog Handler. During the last 5 years in the Air Force, Aguilar worked in the elite Presidential K9 Unit, whose primary mission was to secure Air Force One, aircraft transportation for the U. S. President. During these years, he secured Air Force One for Presidents Clinton and Bush, and also secured the arrival of President Reagan's body transport into Andrews AFB, MD.
Once Aguilar's 10-year term in the Air Force was completed in 2005, his passion for dogs led him to the start-up of a dog-training business in Los Angeles, Ca. Using his well-trained dog Ajax, Aguilar promoted his business by holding demonstrations all over the Los Angeles area, showing off his skills in parks, expos, busy streets, always drawing a crowd. Aguilar expanded his business by holding dog-training seminars across the country, including to audiences of law enforcement officers and fellow dog training professionals. In addition, because of his expertise in Bite Prevention, Aguilar was invited often to speak to children in local-area schools and to employees of the United States Postal Service.
In 2009, Aguilar made his first appearances on Spanish television on the popular shows Sabado Gigante, Alarma TV, and El Gordo Y La Flaca. Aguilar's appearances quickly crossed over to the English television market. For 4 consecutive seasons starting in 2010, he was the resident "Pet Pro" for the nationally-syndicated TV show "America Now". On "America Now" he has taped over 100 segments, sharing his knowledge of dog behavior and dog ownership, and gaining much experience working in front of the camera.
With Aguilar's growing popularity in 2012, he was given the opportunity to perform live to sold-out venues, including the Night of the Horse in Del Mar, Ca, and the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse in Burbank, Ca, performing a a long side many greats like; Bo Derek and Ramon Becerra, Exclusive Horse Trainer for Shania Twain's "Still The One" concert at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, NV. Aguilar was hired by a public relations firm to be the pet expert to promote Disney's movie "Frankenweenie". Aguilar talked with various media outlets on TV, radio, internet, and news print, promoting the importance of the human-and-dog relationship.
In 2013, Luciano was given the opportunity to partner with Sen Dog of Legendary rap group Cypress Hill to create a K9 fashion line called Hound Squad. "I've been a long-time fan since the release of their self titled debut album "Cypress Hill" in 91. The new style of beats along with stories about growing up in neighborhoods right by me, I felt an instant connection." Sen and Luciano first met while providing training for Sen's dog Otis. After some time the two built a friendship and mutual respect for each other and decided to give business a chance.
Aguilar's continued interest to serve his community has led him to be appointed in 2012 and later elected in 2014 to the Board of Trustees of the Hawthorne School District, a city in the Los Angeles County. Luciano has successfully run for re-election again in 2018 winning with 34% of the votes. The Board, including Aguilar, consists of 6 members, including the district's superintendent. The Board is responsible for making critical decisions that can impact all 7,500 students in the area, as well as the entire community.
As a Board member, Aguilar has successfully coordinated the City of Hawthorne's First Annual Family and Pet Extravaganza event and enjoyed it's sixth annual Extravaganza which took place on September 23rd, 2018. Using the many hats and networks Luciano has, he created different opportunities for numerous students throughout the district. These experiences range from field trips to Universities to motivate students to pursue higher learning, to trips to TV Studios for the Performing Arts Academy, students had the opportunity to see some of their classroom lessons in action. Aguilar hopes to inspire the students in the district through his continued accomplishments.
In 2017, Aguilar launched Hound Squad Radio. The unique radio program focuses on the relationship that exist between pets and their human companions. The broadcast hooks in a new generation of fun loving listeners, while providing practical real-world education and support to those that appreciate their dogs. Hound Squad Radio program operates in collaboration with DJ Skee’s of DASH Radio. Through Hound Squad Radio, Aguilar has raised over $1,000 for charity, championing events like Pints-4-Pups and Dog Days Los Angeles. These recurring live-to-air location events, organized and produced by Aguilar, support pet adoption and humane treatment of all four-legged friends. His distinctive approach of brining prestigious celebrity talent to the show has led to more than 15 major cross-promotion guest appearances at DASH Radio. To date, Aguilar has hosted over 100 hours of programming for the premium internet radio distributor.
In October 2018, Luciano took control of The Dawgs Project, an organization dedicated to supporting the military working dog community. The project was founded by several Vietnam veterans who recognized a need to support the Military K9 and their handlers at home and off shore. Aguilar stepped in, gladly accepting the torch that was passed to him, and is working to revitalize The Dawgs Project and preserve this important tradition of support.
Luciano Aguilar’s accomplishments speak to his character and desire to encourage those who need a helping hand, or a gentle push in the right direction.
"I come from a culture where sometimes, instead of being supported and uplifted, I was talked down to and discouraged, and not expected to accomplish anything in life. I had to discover, for myself, my true worth, and I had to believe in myself. Today, I take much pride in my many achievements: I have directly been involved in the protection of 2 U.S. Presidents to include many foreign Head of States; I have a successful dog-training business; I have started a career in television, and I'm an elected official serving my community. I want the kids to understand that life is full of lessons to be learned, but regardless of where they come from or what hardship they have experienced, through hard work and determination, achievement and success is always possible!"
