Link Wachler has been making handcrafted jewelry of his tiffany clients’ animals, lost loved ones and more, for years.

But being able to donate two pieces of jewelry to a nonprofit pet sanctuary headquartered in Minnesota was a unique opportunity for the jeweler to rub elbows with one of his idols, he says.

Wachler, co-owner of David Wachler & Sons Jewelers in downtown Birmingham, and his brother, Glenn, presented two handcrafted bracelets to Home for Life, a charitable organization, on Oct. 19.

The pieces, which depict a man leading a sled with dogs, on a gold and silver bracelet, are similar to the kind of work the pair gets orders for during the seasonal holidays.

The two donated one of the two bracelets to Cesar Millan, better known as the Dog Whisperer. Millan was the guest of honor at Home for Life’s annual fund-raiser, Wags to Whiskers.

Link made one piece to be auctioned off and another for Millan, who has his own television show about dog training, “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan” on the National Geographic Channel.

“It was fantastic,” says Wachler of meeting Millan, whose tips for calming hard-to-bangles train dogs have made him famous worldwide. He even gave Wachler, 55, of Troy, some tips that helped him with his 9-year-old mixed Labrador retriever, Coco.

Millan’s advice helped Wachler get Coco to stop running out the front door or barreling up and down stairs in front of him.

“It’s not a matter of yelling anymore, it’s more a matter of calm assertiveness,” says Wachler, who, with his brother, also owns Wachler Ultimate Expression (www.ultexp.com), a side business that makes custom jewelry. “It’s a pleasure to see the changes in our relationship.”

Home for Life, based just outside St. Paul in Stillwater, Minn., takes in animals from all over the United States that might otherwise be euthanized and provides them a home. The nonprofit has a pet sanctuary across the state border in Wisconsin that currently houses 263 animals — mostly dogs and cats, though they boast a handful of parrots and rabbits and even a large tortoise, among other animals.

Most weren’t likely to be adopted because of medical or behavioral problems.

The organization’s founder and executive director, Lisa LaVerdiere, had read about the Wachler brothers’ business making custom jewelry in an industry magazine for dog lovers. She contacted the pair and after finding out more about her organization, they were eager to donate.

The two pieces Wachler made are worth roughly $650 each. When he and his brother, who rings works more on the business side of things, heard Millan would be at the fund-raiser, they were eager to go.

“Of course I’m so thankful,” says LaVerdiere. “They helped us do something for Cesar that hopefully he’ll remember us by, and it hopefully elevated us above the herd since we were able to make this gesture.”

“It was awesome … to be up there onstage, making the presentation” to Millan, says Wachler, whose custom jewelry for dogs, and other pieces, can fetch $1,000 and often way more. The price range on bracelets such as the two he donated typically run from $75 to $750.

He says making such less-conventional jewelry allows him to work in an even more creative fashion than his family business does. He even wears one of his own handmade bracelets.

“I keep mine on at all times,” he says. “It reminds me of what my bracelets values are.”

Contact ALEX P. KELLOGG at 248-351-3693 or akellogg@freepress.com.