Have you ever watched an American reality television series named Pit Bulls & Parolees? Well, this is a series on Animal Planet that seeks to combat misconceptions about pit bulls, a category of related and oft-stigmatized dog breeds.
On October 30, 2009, this series debuted and it features the Villalobos Rescue Center which was originally located in Agua Dulce, California. But now, the organization has relocated to the Greater New Orleans area in Louisiana.
Actually, this is the biggest pit bull animal shelter in the United States. The founder of this organization namely Tia Torres appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on September 24, 2014. Then, she stated that her organizations has almost 400 dogs and that increased viewership has resulted in ‘four times’ as many dogs being directed to her organization.
For you who have never watched this show, you may be curious about this show. This show depicts the day to day operations at the Villalobos Rescue Center and their effort to have rescues of neglected, abused, and abandoned dogs adopted. The founder of the center, Tia Maria Torres, agreed to be on the show to be able to help part of Villalobos then-$25,000 each month bills.
Then, since moving the entire rescue group which include all the dogs, parolees who wished to go, and her family to New Orleans, the expenses have tripled. Now, they are $80,000 each month. The main focus of the show is the interaction between Tia, the dogs, her daughters namely Tania and Mariah, her adopted twin sons namely Kanani and Keli’i and also the eponymous parolees who work for her during training duties, daily care and pit bull rescue missions. Tia, as the owner of rescue said in the show that her mission is to rescue. Then, she adds that her hope is that one day she will not have to.
In 2011, Torres has planned that they will would move Villalobos to a small town named Tehachapi, California. It seems that that place can be ideal place for VCP to relocate with overabundance of Pitbulls in Kern County and a prison facility in town. Because the rules kennel permits which are strict and expensive in Los Angeles County, then on November 13, 2011, the rescue announced that they would be moving the facility out of California so that they will be able to survive financially.
They consider various locations. For your information that it was the memories of VCR’s rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina that led the non-profit group to select Louisiana for their new home and it was almost a year to make the whole move complete. Then, on January 1, 2012, Tia Torres arrived with the last group of dogs it makes the state of Louisiana their one and only permanent location.
So, now the new rescue and adoption facility is located in the Upper 9th Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana with a lot of satellite locations scattered throughout southern Louisiana. For your information, the 10th season of Pitbulls and Parolees will begin sometime in winter 2018-19 and the show regularly airs on Animal Planet weekdays at 12 PM and 1 PM EST.
