Pit Bulls & Parolees is an American reality television series on Animal Planet that seeks to combat misconceptions about pit bulls, a category of related and oft-stigmatized dog breeds. The series debuted on October 30, 2009. It features the Villalobos Rescue Center and was originally located in Agua Dulce, California; however, the organization has relocated to the Greater New Orleans area in Louisiana.
It is the United States' largest pit bull animal shelter.
Founder Tia Torres appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on September 24, 2014, and stated that her organization has approximately 400 dogs and that increased viewership has resulted in "four times" as many dogs being directed to her organization.
Video Pit Bulls & Parolees
Background
Pit Bulls & Parolees depicts the day-to-day operations at the Villalobos Rescue Center (VRC) and their efforts to have rescues of abused, neglected, and abandoned dogs adopted. The center's founder, Tia Maria Torres, agreed to be on the show to help pay part of Villalobos' then-$25,000 per month bills. Since moving the entire rescue group, including all the dogs, parolees who wanted to go, and her family to New Orleans, the expenses have tripled. They are now $80,000 per month. The show's main focus is the interaction between Tia, the dogs, her daughters (Tania and Mariah), her adopted twin sons (Kanani and Keli'i), and the eponymous parolees who work for her during daily care, training duties, and pit bull rescue missions.
Tia states in the show: "My mission is to rescue. My hope is that one day I won't have to."
Relocation
In 2011, Torres had planned to move Villalobos to a small town called Tehachapi, California, around 75 miles north of where it had operated in Agua Dulce. It appeared to be an ideal place for VRC to relocate with the overabundance of Pit Bulls in Kern County and a prison facility in town, with newly released inmates looking for work. VRC secured all the proper permits; yet, at the final moment, Kern County did not grant permission for the rescue to conduct their business in the remote area of "Old West Ranch," Tehachapi. Losing all of her personal savings spent on the Tehachapi project and hundreds of man hours, VRC was forced to remain at the Agua Dulce location.
As the rules regarding kennel permits were becoming increasingly strict and expensive in Los Angeles County, the rescue announced on November 13, 2011, that they would be moving the facility out of California in order to survive financially. After considering various locations, it was the memories of VRC's rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina that led the non-profit group to choose Louisiana for their new home. It took almost a year to make the entire move complete.
On January 1, 2012, Tia Torres arrived with the last group of dogs, making the state of Louisiana their one and only permanent location. The new rescue and adoption facility is located in the Upper 9th Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, with various other "satellite" locations scattered throughout southern Louisiana.
The tenth season of Pit Bulls & Parolees will start airing sometime in winter 2018-19. The show regularly airs on Animal Planet weekdays at 12 PM and 1 PM EST.
Maps Pit Bulls & Parolees
References
External links
- Villalobos Rescue Center website
- AnimalPlanet.com - Pitbulls & Parolees
- Pit Bulls and Parolees on IMDb
- Pit Bulls and Parolees at TV.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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