The Show: Sad Pibbles and Happy Tails

[CrazyInAlabama]

The one who is just as bad is the so-called friend who showed up to 'feed' the animals just when Tia and company showed up to rescue them.     I didn't see the first part, but I love the sheriff's deputy giving them bolt cutters, or at least authorizing them to cut the chains.      Two of the dogs, one of the three puppies in the crate together didn't make it, and the red dog by the fence died also, but at least they died warm, and loved.   

It's not bad enough that animal abusers like the owner of those dogs usually get nothing in the way of jail time, but they do it over and over.    I've heard of cases where one person, and her mother, were convicted several times of starving horses to death, were banned from owning animals, and they move to another state, or just far away in the same state, and start up again.    By the way, the mother is a nurse, who still  works in hospitals, and since most animal abuse charges are misdemeanors, it doesn't affect her license.    

Edited November 26, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[EtheltoTillie]

This was so hard to watch. I had to send a donation tonight. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Just watching generated donations from Animal Planet too.    

[CrazyInAlabama]

On their Villalobos Rescue Facebook they said that out of 38 dogs rescued, 35 survived.  The owner was already in jail on unrelated charges, and will be there for a very long time, probably for life.   I hope his fellow prisoners find out who he is.     The woman who 'came to feed the dogs' was a friend of his, and not the owner.    And she was also a disgusting waste of oxygen, and I hope karma bites her in the fanny too.   Almost all of the dogs are still at Villalobos.    The German Shepherd puppies were put on transport, and have been adopted already.   They are asking interested people to adopt, and fill out an application on their website.   Some are mini-pits, and many are dog friendly, and if anyone wants to donate or sponsor them, then they have links on there for that also.    They do have dogs that aren't pits at the rescue too, so if anyone wants another breed, they have them.

My favorite adoption story of a non-pit was the little poodle that went to the Northeast to live.   

They also are ready to do a west coast swing for adoptions, so anyone in Arizona, or California, or surrounding states that wants to apply should think about it.  

Edited November 27, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[1SimonMom]

This newest episode was so emotional and I loved the look of the attorneys adopting their first dog together, you could tell he had had dogs before.   I had had purebred dogs all my life and then I rescued one and Simon is the best dog I have ever ever had.  It took alot to find the one, I had wanted to adopt an older black dog since those dogs are the hardest to adopt but I could not find one I wanted and I needed a dog so eventually after being rejected and I have no problems with that because the good rescue leagues try to find the best match however just because I live in a condo  does not make someone not a good fit for a small dog, I gor him and by far the bestest of the best dog ever.  Anyways I found out that there are people who actually adopt dogs only to be used for dog fighting which deserves a special place in hell.  I also think pet stores should be banned from selling dogs because lets face facts we know that the majority of those dogs come from puppy mills.  I know there is a purpose for dog breeders but when you have all these dogs who clearly need homes how can you ignore that.  Adopt do not shop and support Tia.

[walnutqueen]

Damn - this one nearly broke me.  :-(

[SunnyBeBe]

I'm surprised that they are able to get so many Pit bull adoptions in the south.  I'm also in the south, (NC) and in my large county, I recently checked the County animal shelter adoption site for dogs available for adoption and it is almost exclusively adult Pit bulls!  It's unreal there are that many of that breed in the shelter.  

[nitrofishblue]

Yes, this was an emotionally draining but it needs to be seen. It helped bring awareness to what happens to so many dogs. I know my eyes would "leak" during past episodes. This one has my eyes running like a waterfall. I have been active in dog rescue since 2002 and have seen a lot of sadness. What helps is to know that these pups are now safe and well cared for. People need to see the whole story. Tia and her family are the best. I so wanted to give M2 a big hug. What emotions were being shown.

[SRTouch]

7 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

Damn - this one nearly broke me.  :-(

Extremely bad conditions - and to me the ultimate in neglect... an embedded collar. As Tia said - there is no excuse. An animal can be emaciated due to some medical condition, and I might give someone a bit of understanding for not realizing how bad it is. I might be willing to give the owner here a pass if he had really been locked up for 2 weeks - no pass for the woman who tried to claim she had been feeding the dogs in his absence. But the freekin collar was not caused by two weeks of neglect - and all you need to do to fix the problem is loosen the chain or buy a bigger collar!?! Nope, no pass here, just a special place in hell for both the owner and the woman who failed to feed and water the dogs caused additiobal unnecessary suffering and deaths.

Edited November 26, 2018 by SRTouch

[CrazyInAlabama]

They actually adopt out locally, but also all over the country too.   From what I've read Animal Planet finances the out of town adoption trips, that they film (thanks to Bastet for that part).    They said on the Facebook page that they have one adoption lined up on the West Coast, and said if anyone wants to put in an adoption application, please do it soon.     

I was heartbroken that the little red dog died, and two more also.    Most of the other 35 are still at Villalobos, recovering, and some of non-pit breeding have been transported to other locations, and adopted out.  

Edited November 28, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[Bastet]

9 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

From what I've read Animal Planet finances the out of town adoption trips. 

Transportation costs for the non-local adoptions seen on the show are covered by the production company.  "Regular" adoptions, no (unless something has changed), and that's why they do them in groups whenever possible, because it would be cost-prohibitive to do them individually like on the show (out-of-state adopters used to bear the transportation cost, divided up equally among the group, but that extra amount reduced the number of non-local adopters, and there simply are not enough homes to be found in New Orleans, so VRC started eating the cost).

That poor emaciated red dog; as Tia said, the only comfort is that, knowing she/he (don't remember) was dying and was finally with loving people, she/he let go and died in a warm, safe environment.  The way M2 burst into tears on sight, and that got Tia going too, really touched me.  These people do such wonderful work, and at such a high emotional cost.

Public defender is a tough gig, and PD in New Orleans?  For those who don't know, their justice system in general and PD system in particular is infamous (tougher still is being the defendant reliant upon the system, but it's a job with long hours, low pay, and continual heartache/frustration).  Like her husband, I'm glad she is able to come home from work to be greeted by the unconditional love of a pet.

[EtheltoTillie]

Can anyone tell me something about the so-called mini pits?  Are they just bred to be smaller?  

[SRTouch]

6 hours ago, GussieK said:

Can anyone tell me something about the so-called mini pits?  Are they just bred to be smaller?  

You got me wondering - so off to google I went. Seems they're a fairly recent development of mixing a full bred American Pit with a full bred Patterson Terrier https://animalso.com/breeds/pocket-pitbull/ If I'm reading this right, the goal is a smaller dog which still looks like a pitbull - smaller as in no taller than 16-17" at the shoulder, so still a medium sized dog. Advantage to the breeder is that they get to charge more for a designer dog (fancy word for mutt).

I also see that it's a recognized breed that can be registered in a couple different kennel clubs. A good thing about these designer breeds is that reputable breeders can bring in new bloodlines and work towards eliminating some of the health problems which developed from generations if inbreeding. Unfortunately, most people shopping for them are going more for looks (or name - who the hell comes up with these names http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/meet-18-designer-dog-breeds ) People go out looking for a cute puppy with cutesie name and never bother to consider the temperament and grooming/social/health needs of the animal. So, instead of going to a reputable breeder we get backyard breeders like the operation on this episode...

oops, time to stop before I start to rant about fools getting a high energy breed who think a 10 minutes walk is sufficient - or a long/curly haired dog who needs regular grooming who thinks "regular grooming" means cutting off the mats once or twice a year when poor dog starts to stink...

[TresGatos]

On 10/22/2018 at 9:19 PM, friendperidot said:

if, when we die and all the pets of our lives that have gone on before us meet us at the rainbow bridge, just think how when the times for Tia, how many thousands and thousands will greet her and give her a loving welcome. And Buckaroo will be there too.

This brought tears to my eyes.

[Bastet]

When they showed Earl talking about how finding out your first rescue got a home is extra special, I got excited for the inevitable phone call with Sui (he's my favorite parolee after Earl), and, indeed, I had a huge grin on my face during that call.  "You know I love all of them, but I hope you're talking about my man Mr. Magoo."  I'm glad Magoo found a home; he has a personality that I'm not surprised to see overlooked for two years, given how many dogs they have available at any given time, but it was perfect for them.  I think a majority of people meeting those three dogs would be most drawn to Quack, yet they wanted Mr. Magoo.  And what a good dog he is for them - he's kind of in his own world sometimes, but they don't care, and he also snuggles up for shared naps and loves toy time. 

And I would hate their backyard, but I doubt Magoo cares at all.  And, as always, I love that VRC has guidelines that are adapted on a case-by-case basis, rather than a set of bright-line rules.  Mr. Magoo isn't going to dig out under that wrought iron fence, so they don't need to shore up the base.  He doesn't need a bunch of room to run around and grass to roll around on; he's happy with his walks and prancing through the dirt from time to time, but otherwise he's happy inside.  With another dog, they'd have required some changes; with this one, they don't. 

Babies do absolutely nothing for me, but when Moe came in with his and Lizzy's kid and Kanani and M2 jostled over who got to hold him first, I smiled.  They're such a close family, but not a particularly lovey-dovey, touchy-feely one, and I relate to that and enjoy seeing it on TV.  And I love that with basically just the family in attendance, that included Earl (I didn't see Mariah and Marcel there, but I'm sure they just weren't available for some reason; I didn't notice Perry, either, though - did anyone spot him?).

It sounds like Tia owns the property, and maybe even the mobile home, but with Kanani and M2 being the kids making the move out to the sticks - a culture shock even Tia, "a country girl at heart," as she says, who lived out in the L.A. version of the sticks in Agua Dulce, has struggled with - to help run the Assumption Parish location, good for her helping that way. 

Edited December 2, 2018 by Bastet

[jnymph]

On 11/25/2018 at 10:43 PM, Bastet said:

The way M2 burst into tears on sight, and that got Tia going too, really touched me.  These people do such wonderful work, and at such a high emotional cost.

 

That was incredibly emotional for me too.   I was gutted watching them share such a heartbreaking moment over a poor neglected dog. : (  In a way, it was nice to see how "human" these incredible bad ass rock star women  (that pull wolf hybrids out of floorboards) can be !     They cried;  and then jumped right in action, to do what they had to do.   

I AM IN AWE.  MY HEROES ! 

[Rlb8031]

On 12/1/2018 at 10:18 PM, Bastet said:

 (I didn't see Mariah and Marcel there, but I'm sure they just weren't available for some reason; I didn't notice Perry, either, though - did anyone spot him?).

I really don't want to speak bad stuff into existence, but I'm hoping that Perry's absence was that he was covering one or the other of the rescues that day and not because of some other issues. He's been MIA on tv since Tanya's pregnancy (which, but the size of her daughter was about two years ago). There are plenty of folks that work on the rescue but aren't on the show so that's not unusual, but I never see him in any of the backgrounds for anything, nor does he appear in any of the FB posts or online. In my perfect world he's become a stay-at-home dad raising his daughter full time while Tanya cares for the dogs, and I truly hope its that an not a result of illness.

[chenoa333]

On 11/28/2018 at 10:14 AM, SRTouch said:

You got me wondering - so off to google I went. Seems they're a fairly recent development of mixing a full bred American Pit with a full bred Patterson Terrier https://animalso.com/breeds/pocket-pitbull/ If I'm reading this right, the goal is a smaller dog which still looks like a pitbull - smaller as in no taller than 16-17" at the shoulder, so still a medium sized dog. Advantage to the breeder is that they get to charge more for a designer dog (fancy word for mutt).

I also see that it's a recognized breed that can be registered in a couple different kennel clubs. A good thing about these designer breeds is that reputable breeders can bring in new bloodlines and work towards eliminating some of the health problems which developed from generations if inbreeding. Unfortunately, most people shopping for them are going more for looks (or name - who the hell comes up with these names http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/meet-18-designer-dog-breeds ) People go out looking for a cute puppy with cutesie name and never bother to consider the temperament and grooming/social/health needs of the animal. So, instead of going to a reputable breeder we get backyard breeders like the operation on this episode...

oops, time to stop before I start to rant about fools getting a high energy breed who think a 10 minutes walk is sufficient - or a long/curly haired dog who needs regular grooming who thinks "regular grooming" means cutting off the mats once or twice a year when poor dog starts to stink...

Breeders...stop the fucking madness! Designer breeds should be illegal. Fuck all of these whores who just want to make money. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The rescue also owns the tavern, and the pet store, and I think Perry was one of the people who wanted to buy and run the tavern, and that's a full time job, so maybe he's doing that.  

[chenoa333]

Just watched the episode about "Buckaroo" the hound dog found starving, with hearworms, edema, heart problems, serious infections from being attacked by another dog. At least he passed away knowing the gentle, loving touch of humans that care. It's much less than any animal deserves but better than what would have happened. I've lost hope in most of humanity. Thankfully, animal rescue for ALL species is alive and well and will never die.

[Bastet]

Oh, my – Go Go is aptly named!  She’d be way too much dog for me, but adorable to watch.  The first one, who just decided he was going to lie down instead of walking out the door, cracked me up in a completely different way.

BFG is a terrific cuddlebug, and so sweet.  Like Tia said, he knows how to sell himself.  Kudos to the owners accepting that the trachea and leash issues will be part of the package – that’s a big, powerful dog to commit to handling when you absolutely cannot pull on his neck.  “Seriously, way to show me up, Mom, thanks” was funny – Tia used to do a lot of training, and she’s still got it.  I like that Tia did the home check herself.  Heading immediately for the toys was hilarious.  BFG likes the whole family and they all like him, but he is so going to be the woman’s dog; she adores him.  He’s going to have a great life there.

LOL at Tia acknowledging she does not look like she used to, and whatever.  Tania’s hatred of technology always makes me laugh, especially because she's young.  We finally got a mention of Perry; I like that he seems to be taking point on the daily care of Salem.  Also that they’re mostly keeping her off the show.

Marcel’s rescue of the dumped dog was really something to watch – the way he earned her trust when she wanted nothing to do with anyone else, how he beat himself up when she took off, having to start over with her after that, and “Hey, you want to snap into a Slim Jim?”  Ha!  Of course that becomes her name.  She was really sweet once she got comfortable, so I hope she finds a home quickly, because I think she’ll settle right back into being a great pet.

Edited December 9, 2018 by Bastet

[walnutqueen]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

The first one, who just decided he was going to lie down instead of walking about the door, cracked me up in a completely different way.

That was Anthony (I think the Dad called him Anthony Soprano), and he seemed like the kind of couch potato dog that would be great for someone like me - if it weren't for all my cats & critters, that is.  :-)

It was so sweet seeing Marcel exercise all the patience in the world to rescue that junkyard dog.  Slim Jims are like Tia's hot dogs - irresistible!

I am looking forward to Tia's book.

[SRTouch]

On 12/8/2018 at 9:39 PM, Bastet said:

We finally got a mention of Perry; I like that he seems to be taking point on the daily care of Salem.  Also that they’re mostly keeping her off the show.

Perfectly reasonable decision -

Quote

Marcel’s rescue of the dumped dog was really something to watch – the way he earned her trust when she wanted nothing to do with anyone else, how he beat himself up when she took off, having to start over with her after that, and “Hey, you want to snap into a Slim Jim?”  Ha!  Of course that becomes her name.  She was really sweet once she got comfortable, so I hope she finds a home quickly, because I think she’ll settle right back into being a great pet.

Perfect example of how important it is for a rescuer to know how to read a dog. Would have been so easy to label the dog vicious because she was so fear aggressive. Enough patience to gain her trust and she turned into a sweet cuddlebug laying on the couch getting good belly rubs.

Then, couple sad neglect cases to torpedo my faith in my fellow humanstudents - again - show up on the reruns. Some backyard breeder taking the puppies and abandoning the mama dog. I just know that if mama didn't have complications from the birth she would have been bred again as soon as the puppies were weaned (probably weaned too early so they could be sold). Then of course poor Unicorn who was on the brink. When the local Animal Control calls and says it's bad you know it's BAD. A few days of food and water, I think they said 5 lbs weight gain, Unicorn went from walking skeleton to playful puppy who could stand to gain a couple pounds. I'd like an update on that one - went to Villalobos adoption site and didn't see her, so hopefully she turned out to be heartworm negative and has already found a home.

Edited December 12, 2018 by SRTouch

[CrazyInAlabama]

I saw the rerun of the failed first adoption for Smack, up in Tennessee.      Someone at the rescue needs to at least Google the potential adopters, or they would have known Wade (I think Wade) was a bad choice.    And Wade and Teresa (? the wife) saying there weren't any pits to adopt in that part of state was garbage.   

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I saw the rerun of the failed first adoption for Smack, up in Tennessee.      Someone at the rescue needs to at least Google the potential adopters, or they would have known Wade (I think Wade) was a bad choice.    And Wade and Teresa (? the wife) saying there weren't any pits to adopt in that part of state was garbage.   

Wow.  I remember that episode, and how it all went south.  Are you saying there was info out there on the potential adopter before the adoption?  Because that's just basic background check 101, isn't it?

[CrazyInAlabama]

My number one red flag would have been when Wade and Teresa (Theresa?) said they want a pit to introduce the breed in that part of Tennessee.     There is a pit rescue in Nashville, and I bet the local shelter where they live is full of them.    If not their local one they're not that far from Knoxville, and they us

A no-kill shelter near where I live calls everything that looks even part pit, as a 'lab cross' too.   

 I bet Wade and Teresa wanted to be on TV, and she really wanted the dog.      I found it troubling when the one dog was super interested on the horse, and Wade still wanted him.    Smack ended up in a much better home anyway.    

Edited December 16, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[Bastet]

Well, you got me curious, so I went looking.  VRC would be pretty hypocritical to say a burglary charge means one is unfit to own a dog, but, beyond that, the burglary charge I'm seeing, the one of the relative's house, occurred after Wade and Teresa (Hampton) applied to adopt Smack, so it wouldn't have existed for them to find to begin with. 

It seems at least one earlier charge against him did exist when they'd have been evaluating him and his wife - in addition to an article about his mom dying in a house fire (she fell asleep smoking) and his dad's obituary, I also found something from a neighborhood gossip site quite a few years before all this about him getting out of jail for burglary/theft and that crime having been committed because of drugs - but, again, a past like that is not something VRC is going to use to deem someone an unfit owner. 

Whatever they found out on scene (which was clearly more than was shown, and Tia said as much online after the episode aired, but didn't give any details) made them change their mind on him, and there was speculation here in response to the episode that whatever went down was about drugs, so if what they found out was that, in fact, his past was not so much in the past, that he was still involved in this sort of thing and a disaster waiting to happen, that would fit.

Re. the availability of pits in their neck of the woods, Nashville is five hours away, so, half the time it would take to go to New Orleans, but maybe once they had to travel, they figured they'd go to VRC rather than the Nashville pit bull rescue because VRC is better, they could get on TV, whatever.  I checked the local shelter, and there are three pits right now, so not a non-existent species, certainly, but not a "half the dogs in the shelter are pits, what do you mean you can't find one there" scenario, either.

So, after spending far more time on this than I ever thought I would, I'm not seeing a red flag that makes me think it was idiotic for them to not have rejected Wade and Teresa until they did.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Bastet

[walnutqueen]

Thank you, @Bastet.  I can always count on you to bring truth & research (and not only for all the kitty stuff I've appreciated over the years).

I always thought there was a lot more to the Wade story - my mind at the time went immediately to meth.

[EtheltoTillie]

This wildfire episode is frightening, esp in light of recent events. 

I love how Tia sits and dresses for her talking head scenes. She has zero Fs to give. A far cry from the Real Housewives. 

Edited December 16, 2018 by GussieK

[Bastet]

15 hours ago, GussieK said:

This wildfire episode is frightening, esp in light of recent events. 

I always love - and love that Tia loves - that it was the inmate firefighting crew who arrived to set up the perimeter.  And that one guy saying, "We watch your show all the time."

And Tania's "I feel like I'm being smuggled across the border" when she hides in a horse trailer to get back up to her own house.

And that, once the danger had passed, that's when Tania started crying and Tia hugged her.  Their relationship is so interesting, and it's been great to watch it evolve over the years the show has been on.  It's just nice to look back and see all around how much everyone has grown, and not just the kids - Tia, too.  And that it's easier for Tia to tell a camera how much she appreciates Tania and let her hear it that way than to say it directly to her?  I get that.