TIA TORRESGrowing up in southern California, Tia Torres came from a broken home and experienced a tumultuous childhood. She longed for a family of her own from very early on and eventually began to adopt neighborhood dogs and stray cats. Because of this, Tia's stepmother encouraged her to pursue the well-being of animals as part of her life-long mission.
After Tia's father left, she was raised by her stepmother and Tia harvested a passion for four-legged friends. Upon leaving home at the age of 17, Tia began caring for other people and animals even if it meant making personal sacrifices. She created a family from these lost souls. With hopes of helping people, Tia eventually worked for the Army and as a gang counselor where she met the father of her daughter, Tania. Unfortunately, Tania's father was caught up in drugs and became physically abusive toward Tia, which led to his arrest and subsequent prison time. Years later, Tia met the man who became father to her second daughter, Mariah. He was involved with animals, and that was a perfect fit for Tia. In the late 1990s, during a visit to a local shelter, Tia met a pit bull that made a huge impression on her. Four-year-old pit bull Tatanka (as she would later be named) broke free from a kennel attendant and ran toward Tia's daughters. Tatanka knocked down the girls and licked their faces much to their delight. It wasn't long before Tatanka became a huge part of the family. With Tatanka, Tia built the Villalobos Rescue Center, now the largest pit bull rescue facility in the country. |
MARIAH TORRESUnlike her older sister Tania, Mariah was born into the pit bull world. She got her first pit bull, L.A., when she was just old enough to hold a leash. Mariah has been very spirited from the moment she was born, and her childhood was a series of contradictions — always happy to roll around and get dirty with the dogs, she was also quick to clean up and compete successfully in beauty pageants.
A natural with people and speaking in public, at only eight years old, Mariah spoke in front of the LA City Commission, the mayor and hundreds of people at a meeting about spay/neuter laws. To this day, Mariah speaks frequently at high schools and other community events about the rights of the breed, the evils of dog fighting and the undeserved pit bull stereotype. Mariah continues to have wide and varied interests. While she still keeps one foot in Villalobos helping her mom and sister, Mariah hopes to try her hand at fashion design and possibly seek a degree in criminal psychology. Her current dogs are Tater Tot, formerly known as Tank, a rescue dog from the first season of the show; Sloth, a special needs pit that’s deaf and epileptic; a French bulldog named Momo; and lastly, a misfit mutt that’s part black sharpei, part Labrador, named Theo. |
TANIA TORRESTia's oldest daughter has had difficulties since she was a child. Within the first five years of Tania's life, both her father and godmother were, on separate occasions, victims of tragic injuries that led to her father's paralysis and her godmother's death. Those tragedies, as well as losing her half-brother years later in a gang-related shooting, have forced Tania to develop a tough skin. Despite this, she maintains a dry and wicked sense of humor.
An avid animal lover, she has been surrounded by wolves and other exotic animals at an early age since she has worked as an animal trainer for movies and television. Now, hoping to follow in her mother's footsteps, Tania wants to take a more active role at the ranch, starting with administering canine medication to nearly 200 dogs that live at Villalobos. She has three dogs of her own, all rescues that came through Villalobos' doors – Bluie, a huge "blue" pit; Wedgie, a French bulldog with major attitude; and Hollywood, a nutty English bull terrier. Tania also has a bird named Cash, whose loud call sounds like a cell-phone ringtone. |
THE TWINSTia's "adopted" twin Hawaiian sons, Kanani (pronounced Kaw-Naw-Nee) and Keli'i (pronounced Kay-Lee-Ee), who is also known as Moe, not only provide the comic relief around the ranch, but their natural ability to work with the most difficult dogs proves them invaluable.
The twins had a rough time growing up. During a chance meeting at school, Tia's younger daughter Mariah befriended them. When life at home became difficult, they began to spend more time at the ranch working on weekends and helping out with various projects. They soon became the newest members of the Villalobos Rescue Center family. |
JAKEJake's connection to Villalobos runs deeper than any of the other parolees' working at the rescue. The oldest male in a family of 10 kids, Jake, born in Los Angeles, met Tia and her girls long before he was a parolee working at VRC. Jake's mother, who is a dog trainer, met Tia in the early days of Villalobos and fostered several of Tia's earliest rescue cases. They formed a friendship that lasts to this day. Jake has had several run-ins with the law, resulting in short stints in and out of prison. But on a fateful night in 2009, while he was riding a borrowed motorcycle, police attempted to pull Jake over for speeding. Knowing that he was carrying an unlicensed gun, he didn't stop. The cops followed Jake on a high-speed chase that resulted in a crash and Jake's arrest. Charged with felony evading of an officer and possession of an illegal firearm, Jake spent 10 months in prison.
Jake has since regained his place at the rescue after his stint in prison and is once again Tia's go-to guy and senior parolee (even though he has since successfully completed his parole program). He was pivotal in the success of moving Villalobos Rescue Center across the country, which was no easy feat. He has taken a liking to New Orleans and all this city has to offer and notices not only a change for the better in all of the dogs but himself as well. |