Ordinary People, Extraordinary Decisions: Pitbulls & Parolees

This is the 3rd edition of the “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Decisions” series where we highlight another person who embodies the statement: “Change the way you think, and you can change the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi once said ““The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” and if that’s the case, then Tia Torres is making our nation incredible!

Tia Torres was an animal lover from the start and often took in stray animals to care for them as a child.  She saw animals that needed love, and believed they deserved nothing less.  Fifteen years ago, while visiting an animal shelter with her 2 young daughters, a 4-year old Pit Bull (Tatanka) came bursting into the Torres’ lives and changed it forever.  This happy-go-lucky dog tackled the little girls and licked their faces clean!

Tatanka was lucky to find a home given the negative attention the breed had received in the news during the 90′s.  Stories of vicious attacks by pit bulls were reported frequently in L.A (where the Torres family lived) and many people were surrendering their Pit Bulls for euthanization. But Tia saw nothing but love in Tatanka, and he was the first of many pit bulls saved by Tia Torres.

For those of you feeling about anxious over the idea of a Pit Bull rescue shelter, I urge you to watch PitBulls & Parolees (the reality show that documents daily life at Villalobos Rescue Center).  Sadly, Pit Bulls have been given a bad reputation due to terrible breeding practices and abusive activities from humans.  So many of these dogs are loving, gentle, and loyal and deserve a great home. In 1999, Tia began the Pit Bull Support Group which offered free training classes, medical exams, spay/neutering, etc to help restore the reputation of this misunderstood and villainized breed.

Over time, Tia became the go-to-person for establishing similar support groups across the country and made a name for herself in the animal rescue community.  Today, Tia Torres runs Villalobos Rescue Center (the nation’s largest Pit Bill rescue facility) which houses between 150-200 Pit Bulls on average on 20 acres of desert in California.  She takes in dogs who have been in dog fighting rings, part of drug gangs, on the euthanization list, and victims of Hurricane Katrina.  The rescue center itself is a non-profit organization (running almost entirely on donations) and it’s operating costs run nearly $15,000 and that doesn’t include vet bills.  She is able to find homes for about 5-10 dogs per month, and even cares for around 50 dogs on the property which are “lifers” (dogs who are unfit for adoption).

Anyone who works tirelessly to save “unwanted” animals with a bad reputation is pretty extraordinary in my opinion.  But Tia goes one step further.  As she gives each of these dogs a second chance at a good life, she also gives convicted criminals a new lease on life.

In addition to her 2 daughters, 2 adopted sons, and dozens of volunteers, she “employs” several parolees as workers on the property.  These former inmates help train, feed, water, clean, and care for the rescued Pit Bulls in exchange for free housing, food, and cigarettes.  They are part of the Underdawgz Program at Villalobos.  Of the 15+ parolees who have worked at Villalobos Rescue Center, only 1 has returned to jail. That is a phenomenal statistic given that recidivism rates range from 50-80% nationwide.

Tia believes in the underdog, whether it’s a misunderstood Pit Bull or a human who has made poor choices.  She believes in second chances.  Tia is changing the way we think about “dangerous” dog breeds and criminals one success story at a time.  Tia is changing the world!

If you’d like to donate to or volunteer at Villalobos Rescue Center, click here.

Editor’s Note: Breanne Harris is the Solutions Architect for Pearson TalentLens.  She works with customers to design selection and development plans that incorporate critical thinking assessments and training.  She has a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and has experience in recruiting, training, and HR consulting.  She is the chief blogger for Critical Thinkers and occasionally posts at ThinkWatson.  Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter for more of her thoughts.