TIA TORRES MAKES A TOUGH MOVE TO "THE BIG EASY" IN A NEW SEASON OF ANIMAL PLANET'S "PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES"

-- A New Chapter Unfolds As Villalobos Makes Its New Home in New Orleans --

(New York, New York) - New Dreams. New Orleans. Tia Torres has spent the last 20 years of her life in California building Villalobos, the largest pit bull rescue in the United States. But insurmountable issues with the local community and government drove her to make the life-altering decision to leave her home state. Torres realized the jazz notes of "The Big Easy" were playing her tune. A city known for its resilience, strength and kindness may just be the perfect place for her family, her pit bulls and her parolees to rebuild and reenergize. The newest chapter unfolds in an all-new season of "PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES" premiering Saturday, October 6, at 10 PM (ET/PT).

New Orleans has one of the highest populations of pit bulls in the country with many of them living on the streets. Louisiana also has the highest number of parolees of almost any state. It's seemingly the perfect place for Villalobos' new home, but change doesn't come easy. Will this new community embrace Villalobos and its mission? Is it even possible to move an entire family, 200 pit bulls and all their needed equipment halfway across the country?

"Hope, faith, recovery, resilience - that's New Orleans - and it reminds me of myself and also of a pit bull. No matter the circumstances, we strive to move forward," says Torres. "I'm grateful to this beautiful city for giving us a second chance; hopefully we've found a place where my family can feel at home and do the work we live for."

Over the years, Torres has faced the discrimination that came with being married to a convict and endured the intolerance surrounding her beloved pit bull breed. She's also managed to recruit a staff of parolees to help keep her facility running smoothly and has raised two daughters and adopted twin sons. Torres' deep commitment to second chances is the driving force behind Villalobos - 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.

In the fourth season of PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES, Torres gets right to work recruiting new parolees to join her staff as they rebuild Villalobos in the city's ninth ward. New Orleans brings more stories of rescue and rehabilitation, from the sad case of a dog abandoned and near death; a family of eight looking for a new dog after losing its pet to cancer; and an explosion of cuteness at the facility when Torres rescues two mama dogs and their 20 puppies. And for a rescue from California's high desert, rain, lightening and floods are an entirely unfamiliar obstacle that they'll have to learn to overcome quickly!

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.