Pit Bulls & Parolees Highlights Villalobos Rescue Center

Villalobos Rescue Center, located 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is a ten-acre facility dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and placement of abused and abandoned pit bulls. As the largest pit bull rescue facility in America, Villalobos currently houses around 200 dogs.

Founded in 1991 by Tia Maria Torres, Villalobos was renowned in southern California but became nationally known when the Animal Planet network debuted Pit Bulls & Parolees on October 30, 2009. Season One of Pit Bulls & Parolees racked up such impressive viewership numbers that a second season premiered this past fall.

Pit Bulls & Parolees gives viewers a snapshot of what life is like at Villalobos Rescue Center, for the pit bull dogs and the ex-convicts who work there, as well as Tia Torres, her daughters Tania and Mariah, and her "adopted" twin sons Kanani and Keli'I. Each episode is fraught with drama, conflict and raw emotion as Tia and her crew attempt to rescue abandoned pit bulls or find loving forever homes for the dogs already housed at the facility.

About Pit Bulls & Parolees

Compared to many reality TV shows on the air these days, Pitbulls & Parolees seems to have more reality and less of the fictionalized drama and edited sound-bites so prevalent with this kind of programming. Tia Torres is presented as a fiery, passionate-about-pit-bulls woman who will do everything in her power to save these "outcasts of the canine world."

When it comes to the dogs, Tia speaks her mind and leaves little doubt that rescuing pit bulls and offering them a second chance at life is her number one priority. Not far behind, though, is her commitment to helping parolees find redemption and a better life despite their past mistakes. This unique pairing of society's cast-offs gives Pit Bulls & Parolees a distinct edge and is undoubtedly what makes each episode so intriguing and fun to watch.

About Villalobos Rescue Center

Tia Torres is a hands-on owner involved in every aspect of running Villalobos Rescue Center. Her daughters and adopted sons also help with operations, and about 7 parolees are in charge of caring for the dogs. Villalobos also has more than 400 volunteers who come out to walk the dogs on the ranch-like facility.

Tia and her dedicated crew work tirelessly to rehabilitate fearful dogs and get them used to the tender care of a human, so they can eventually be adopted. Though Villalobos typically adopts only locally, recent episodes of Pit Bulls & Parolees have shown them traveling to cities as far away as New Orleans to place one of their dogs in a loving forever home.

The Villalobos Underdawgz Program

In 2006, Tia Torres started "The Underdawgz" program at Villalobos. This unusual rehabilitation program was designed to give both the dogs and the men nobody else wants a second chance at life. The Underdawgz Program pairs pit bulls with parolees, who are put in charge of feeding the dogs, cleaning their kennels, training them and getting them ready to be adopted.

Watching Pit Bulls & Parolees, it becomes clear that sometimes this admirable program succeeds, and sometimes it doesn't. Some of the parolees "graduate" from Villalobos (metaphorically speaking) and decide to move on, while others reoffend and get sent back to prison. Some of the Villalobos pit bulls find wonderful new homes, and some seem destined to be lifelong residents. Yet through it all, Tia Torres remains focused and hopeful.

Pit Bulls & Parolees is a must-watch show for dog lovers. It airs Saturday evenings on the Animal Planet channel. To learn more about the Villalobos Rescue Center, visit their website.

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http://animal.discovery.com/tv/pitbulls-and-parolees/

http://www.vrcpitbull.com/home.htm

http://www.read.theamericandogmag.com/non-profit/villalobos-rescue-center-