Pitbulls & Parolees

Issue #37

December 19th, 2023

Quick Hits:

🐶 Martha Stewart started a dog fight (in the comment section)

🏠 Barkitecture is a real trend in 2023

🇮🇳 The Indian pet care market is exploding

📂 Can your dog be a tax write-off?

 🔵🔴 What political party does your dog affiliate with?

• Protect Bio - Just secured their series A fundraising, raising over $10 million.

• The Farmers Dog - Is aiming to raise hundreds of millions of dollars by early next year, in a deal that could value it significantly higher than its last $2.5 billion valuation.

• Thriving - Thrive Foods just acquired Canadian pet food company Canature for an undisclosed amount.

• Google-backed - Offleash'd, the premier social app for pet people, was just accepted into the Google for Startups Cloud Program.

• 55 million dollar facility - Carnivore Meat Co built a 235,000-square-foot raw pet food production facility in Green Bay.

This week we interview Tia Torres, the star behind the hit show Pitbulls & Parolees.

Tell us about Pitbulls and Parolees, the premise of the show, and what has it been like to be on television for 19 seasons. Also, who came up with the original idea and how? 

Pit Bulls and Parolees was a true documentary series and it followed our work at Villalobos Rescue Center, one of the country’s largest pit pull rescues. The show followed along as my kids, the parolees I employed, my other employees and I worked to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home dogs in need of a second chance. I was approached to do the series after being featured in LA Magazine years ago because of my pit bull training classes. There wasn’t really an original idea for the show, it just followed our daily lives and back then, it was more than enough for a documentary series. The support from the audience we built from the show over the years helped us grow the rescue into what it is today. 

You recently parted ways with Animal Planet, what spurred the decision to start your own production company + streaming service once the show ended? What have been some unexpected hurdles and how have you managed to overcome them?

When we parted ways with Animal Planet the decision to start the production company and our Rabid Reality streaming service was really out of necessity.  Because we were on Animal Planet for 19 seasons, our supporters and followers became accustomed to seeing the work we do on television and then when the show ended, I knew I needed to figure out a way to continue to connect with our supporters in order to keep the rescue center going.  Villalobos Rescue Center and Pit Bulls and Parolees had become interchangeable and I feared that when Pit Bulls and Parolees went off the air, everyone would think, Villalobos was shut down, which was the complete opposite of the truth. 

We’ve been busier now with in-take, post-Covid, than we ever were when the show was on the air. The streaming platform has become a lifeline and I have to hope with enough support, it can help us continue the work we’ve been doing in dog rescue for nearly 30 years.

What are the benefits/advantages of launching your own production company + streaming service vs being tied to a large studio like Animal Planet?

The advantage is now, we control our own destiny. We’re in charge of what we put out to the public. As an example, when we first started the show, I originally proposed calling the show “The Underdogs” - our work, and in conjunction, the show was always about second chances and I thought the title was applicable.  Unfortunately, I was overruled by Animal Planet and their title Pit Bulls and Parolees. I will never say a bad thing about the network, they were amazing partners for over a decade, but coming out of the show, it’s been more difficult to approach sponsors and donors because of the connotation of the title of the show.  

It’s exactly why, the sequel series we’re currently producing for the platform is called “Life With The Underdogs” - it better suits us and our mission.

Additionally, we have the freedom to focus on the content that works best for us. Whether it’s a show catching up with our adopters, like “Dog Diaries” or a celebrity interview series focused on their rescue dogs like “My Owner’s a Celebrity”, we get to make the call.  It also allows us to reach outside of our box and launch a mobile game that allows players to guess the DNA-tested breeds that make up a particular rescue dog.

The programming on the Rabid Reality network centers on your work with rescue dogs but other shows move into travel and home improvement genres.  What other topics are you planning to explore with content on Rabid Reality?

Rabid Reality is a reflection of our lives and our interests. My youngest daughter Mariah’s passion, aside from the dogs, is her vintage motorcycle, so we have a series following her and four of her girlfriends as they ride their motorcycles across different states. So far they’ve done Montana and Florida.  The Florida episodes just launched and have been a huge success. Two of our most popular former parolees, Earl and Toney, never got to see the sights of New Orleans, and now because we have this outlet, they’ve become tourists in their hometown, on a series called “Big Easy Boyz"

You’re a nonprofit, do you intend to keep that model as you grow your business, or perhaps split it into a separate entity?

At this point, our goals for the production company and the streaming platform are to get to a point where they’re both sustainable and bringing in revenue to help support our mission.  That said, we’d like to reach beyond what we’re currently doing and bring in brands to help support what we’re doing with the platform.  We have a very targeted and extremely faithful audience of pet lovers.  It could be a win for everyone.  

What is the most important part about connecting with your audience with this content?

We are a non-profit that had 19 seasons of a hit cable TV series. Because of the show our non-profit was forced to grow. That growth didn’t just affect the number of dogs we’re able to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome, but it also gave us a platform on social media to reach millions. Now that the show is off the air, we have to continue to find ways to connect with our audience in relatable and real ways because they aren’t just our social followers, they are our loyal supporters. We welcomed them into our family and business for 13 years, they know us, they watched my kids grow up, and they continue to support the incredible work we are doing at VRC. 

Here are some things the folks at Toxipets say you should keep your dog away from this Christmas!

1. Poinsettias, mistletoe, and holly top our list of toxic plants to watch for in December

2. Avoid feeding any food containing onions or garlic to dogs, such as stuffing. Check your recipe ingredients

3. Keep products containing xylitol away from pets. Xylitol is an artificial sweetener commonly found in baked goods, candy, drink powders, gum, mints, nutritional and vitamin supplements, medications, peanut butter, pudding, syrups, toothpaste, chapstick, and other food items.

• Favorite breed in each state - Any guesses on your state’s favorite dog?

• Jailtime! - A dog daycare worker is accused of abusing dogs

• 16 states - The respiratory illness seems to be spreading.

• Chewy vs FDA - Chewy is one of 9 companies that have received a warning from The FDA for distributing unapproved medications.

• Shape of sleep - The shape of your dog’s head could be affecting their sleep.

• Petex - India’s largest pet expo is starting next week.

PAWS right there!!! Don’t forget to subscribe 👇👇

If someone wants to start a non-profit specifically for animals, what are some first steps they should consider and what are some things they should take into account?

Running a non-profit dog rescue is not for the faint of heart.  It always starts with the best of intentions but it's taxing on your bank account, your time, your family, and most importantly you.  It can be life-changing in a good way, but you have to go in with both eyes open and most importantly start slow and stay true to your mission.  It’s easy to lose focus and fall into the trap of taking on too much too quickly. 

Logistically, however, the first step is to check the local ordinances and regulations before starting an animal non-profit. For example, a lot of cities limit the number of dogs/cats in one location. I experienced this first-hand when I tried to move my rescue and was denied a permit because I had too many dogs. And, of course, starting with a lawyer and accountant with 501c3 experience is always a good idea.

Are there any key partnerships or collaborations with other nonprofits, businesses, or governmental agencies that have played a significant role in helping the rescue grow?

I've always said it takes a village and we’ve had many transport rescue partners over the years, who helped us adopt dogs (and cats) out in other parts of the country.  Sadly, because our intake doesn’t seem to be slowing down, we’re always looking for motivated partners who share our vision and passion when it comes to the dogs. The same can be said about the production company and the streaming platform - we’re always open to finding the right partners when it comes to everything we do.

You own the largest pit bull rescue center in the country, Villalobos, what are the economics and the logistics of running such an incredible place? What is it like managing a large workforce?

Don’t remind me! Villalobos has grown to a size I never could have imagined. We now operate 4 locations in 3 states. We love what we do, but it can certainly be a taxing, 24/7 job. Any business owner knows the struggles of managing people and mixing so many personalities into a successful business or non-profit, but we’re also adding all of the dog’s personalities – many of whom have been abused and abandoned and just need some love. It all started as a love for these dogs and rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming as many as possible, but as Villalobos has grown I’ve had to learn to be an accountant, HR manager, fundraiser, Parole Officer, marketer, social media manager, and entrepreneur constantly thinking of new ways to communicate our message and raise awareness and support to keep our doors open.

Why has providing job opportunities to parolees been important to your mission? Are you continuing your work with the recently incarcerated?

Everything we do with Villalobos is about second chances. It started with the dogs and giving them a second chance at a forever home and later with the parolees.  We started to realize the guys could relate to the dogs - they’ve both been looked down on by society and they both know what it's like to be in a cage.  It creates an unbreakable bond that helps get the parolees through a difficult transition after getting released and it helps the dogs begin their rehabilitation process.

• Much Room - Real Mushrooms just launched a new multipurpose supplement.

• Animal-free for animals - A Belgian startup is working on an animal-free, yeast-based myoglobin and is filing a patent for it.

• GI issues - A new study suggests diets limiting ingredients, not allergens, improve dog GI issues.

• New EU rules The European Union officially enacted new rules on the labeling of organic pet foods.

You reached the end, you deserve a treat 🍖

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Finally, What do a Christmas tree and a dog have in common?

 Bark!

See you in two weeks!

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