Tia Torres continues to be a force to be reckoned with - over the past decade she's built Villalobos, the largest facility in the United States for the rescue and rehabilitation of her beloved pit bull breed. Along the way, she's faced the discrimination that came with being married to a convict and endured the intolerance surrounding the pit bull breed. She's also managed to recruit and foster a staff of parolees who help keep her facility running smoothly, raise two daughters and adopted twin sons, and fight a raging wildfire that threatened to wipe out her precious home and animals.
This fall, when the 12-episode third season of Animal Planet's PIT BULLS & PAROLEES premieres on Saturday, November 12, at 10 PM (ET/PT), viewers will face more dramatic and emotional adventures alongside Tia and her clan. In this next chapter, viewers see their old favorites grow and change, and meet a set of compelling new parolees who hope that Villalobos will provide them with the opportunity to turn their lives around.
This season, pit bulls and owners in need compel Tia and her dedicated team to head across the nation. Despite her own struggles to keep Villalobos up and running, Tia and Tania take an emotional trip to Alabama to help another canine rescue deal with the aftermath of a devastating tornado. Jake and Armando, now off parole, are given the opportunity of a lifetime when they head across the country solo to rescue two feral pit bulls that lost a battle with a porcupine. Adopters of all kinds, from a group of fun-loving bachelors to a mother and daughter duo with hearts of gold, open their homes to pit bulls in need. Emotions run high this season as Tia saves a gentle giant from spending his final days in an animal shelter. And in one of the most shocking adoptions Tia has ever witnessed, a habitually aggressive dog is instantly transformed the moment she reunites with her former owner. Finally, old and new members of Torres' team come together to witness one of Villalobos' best success stories, Armando, wed the love of his life.
Torres' deep commitment to second chances is the driving force behind Villalobos, a 10-acre sanctuary near Los Angeles. Here, unwanted pit bulls receive the rehabilitation they need to move on to loving homes and parolees who can't find jobs elsewhere are given a shot at redemption. It's a constant struggle to find enough money and resources to keep the doors of Villalobos open, but if anyone has what it takes to make it all work, it's no-nonsense Torres.
"Running Villalobos means helping man and man's best friend and it is a lifestyle that keeps us breathing. We simply can't imagine life any other way. In our 'family' we always say that we would take a bullet for our dogs or our people - that's how much they all mean to us," says Torres. "At one time or another, everyone has asked for a second chance. All of us make mistakes or run into misfortune at some point in our lives. At Villalobos, we're here to extend a helping hand, and in some cases, a paw."
PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES is produced for Animal Planet by Rive Gauche Television and 44 Blue Productions. David Auerbach is the executive producer for Rive Gauche and Rasha Drachkovitch is the executive producer for 44 Blue. Lisa Lucas is executive producer for Animal Planet.
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.
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