[Lizzy] Oh, hi baby.
[bleep] Hey, baby. Come back.
Hey, baby.
I was sitting in my office
and I had come out at some point
just to kind of check on the dogs.
Oh [bleep]
There was a small dog running out front of the rescue.
I didn't have a leash. I didn't want to go back in
I wasn't expecting to see a dog.
But I didn't want to lose sight
'cause it was moving around pretty quickly.
Hey, hey, hey.
I knew that I needed some backup and some help, so I called Heidi.
Yeah, could you help me?
I can't... There's no way I'm gonna be able to get this dog.
The dog actually made its wa to the train tracks.
I was able to shout like, "There's a dog over here."
Hey, baby. Oh, my God.
[bleep]
Hey, baby. It's okay. Hey, baby. Oh, my God.
Hi.
The dog was getting tired and it didn't want to run past anybody
because it was so nervous.
Hey, baby. Hey, baby.
And so, Heidi was able to approach.
Hey, hey, hey. Oh [bleep]
It did kind of bolt again.
It had bolted toward a fenc which was good,
because that acted as another blockade.
-Oh [bleep] -It kind of just stiffened because it was scared.
Hi, honey. Oh [bleep]
-Hi, baby. -[Heidi] Hi.
He's exhausted. He's like, done fighting.
We could have lost this dog or could have gotten hit by a car or train,
which would have been the worst case scenario.
Whenever a dog is scared and like running in every direction,
it can make things so difficult.
So cute.
When Heidi got the loop on, I was very relieved.
I didn't have a leash. I was like, "Oh, I'm just gonna be following
in case somebody comes and helps because I have nothing."
Came out so fast.
She looks older. I'd say probably somewhere between nine and ten.
This dog seems to be afraid and a bit fearful.
This dog is so cute.
She doesn't look to be in horrible condition,
so she does look like she's somebody's dog.
[dog barking]
[scanner beeps]
Microchip.
We scanned her for a microchip. She has a microchip.
A really, really important thing that all dog owners should d
is to microchip their pet because if your dog gets out
and somebody picks it up and takes it to a shelter or an animal hospital,
they can scan your dog and you can be reunited.
It's an old chip.
[Lizzy] You know, we could potentially reunite her
with somebody who's missing her.
So, it's not registered.
Oh, so a dead end.
Unfortunately, it was a dead end
because the microchip's not registered
and it was implanted a long time ago,
so we weren't able to get any additional information.
-You said you already checked next door? -Yeah.
I'll keep checking.
To find that it wasn't registered and hit that dead end,
it was actually really disappointing.
She's so cute.
What a sweet baby.
Who's a good baby?
Okay, so we'll keep checking lost and found pages
and maybe somebody'll come looking for her.
It's actually traumatizing when you think about
being separated from somebody that you love,
but for a dog it's like, whoever that person was or whoever their family was
that's like their whole worl and it's completely gone.
But we're still really hoping that somebody comes looking for her.
[Tia] As any dog rescue or shelter, you know,
we have so many dogs that need homes at any given time.
So to have a repeat adopter come along is probably the best thing ever.
Hello.
[Tia] Edie and Dennis probab hold the record right now
of repeat adopter who's adopted the most dogs from us.
When you have an adopter like that, it's just, pull up to the gate [laughs]
open your car door. We're gonna put a dog in it and away you go.
Hi.
The fact that they drive to all the way from Texas,
it just makes them even more special to the special.
-How are you? -Is this for me?
[Mariah] Edie and Dennis, they've adopted several dogs from us.
The first dog years and years ago was Chaumet.
And then after Chaumet passe I brought Lee and Falcor to them.
-Are you home? -Good boy. Yeah, that's for you.
[Mariah] And then, they adopted Angelina, who was another senior dog.
[Edie] You ready to come live with us?
[Mariah] Angelina has since passed away,
and they are ready to bring another dog into their home
They are seeking out the dogs that nobody else wants.
They want the dog that will end up
having to stay with us the rest of its life.
If that doesn't make you cry, I don't know what can.
Well, you guys know the deal. Let's go sit down.
Okay. Let's do it.
It'll be easy. I don't have to sit here and ask y'all about anything. [laughs]
I'm very excited to pick out a new dog today.
I think Villalobos knows exactly what we're looking for.
-We have a good chunk of dogs to show you today, so. -[Edie] I'm excited.
Yeah, we picked out senior dogs today for Edie and Dennis.
All of them probably wouldn't have much longer to live,
but a family like Edie and Dennis would be wonderful for them to go to.
-Well, welcome back. -Thank you.
I forgot our rule. I should have worn my bibs though.
-Yeah, it's a bib day. -We should have called ahead.
-It's always a bib day. -It's always a bib day in my world.
[Mariah] My collection's getting out of control.
So obviously, I don't really have to ask y'all
about you guys personally 'cause I already know you guys.
Edie and Dennis are really, really special adopters to us.
They're equipped to handle the situations that other people aren't.
They do really, really well with dogs that are shy,
that are anxious, that have medical issues.
It's a really hard thing to do to have dogs in their final years,
and they have the capacity to do so.
And it's a really beautiful thing having people like them
apart of the Villalobos family.
Has anything changed with what you guys are looking for in a dog?
-No. -So a dog that needs help and needs you guys?
[Dennis] It's a heart and so rescue here.
We're here for the dogs that aren't gonna get couches. They're just gonna get cages.
For just the respect and the honor of Chaumet and Angelina
and any one that comes next.
[Mariah] The first dog we're going to show you is Apple.
We met her almost nine years ago.
Apple has degenerative myopathy
and she kept getting hematomas in her ears consistently.
So the vet ended up having to just cut her ears off to try and stop them.
-[Edie] Apple. Hi. -[Dennis] Look, she's cute.
-Goodness, look at that. -Still just as cute as ever though.
-Hi, baby. Hi. -Hey.
Aww, what a cute girl you are.
[Mariah] Apple is the oldest one that we're gonna be showing to y'all.
-Such a pretty girl. -Obviously, she still gets around just fine
-and is happy. -Yes, you do.
Look at your face. Look at you.
-And all that time. -Almost nine years.
I know.
I really liked Apple.
She gave me the cutest look and she had the sweetest smile.
I just loved it.
Hi, sweet angel. What are you doing with that face?
Apple was one I was walking the first day I was here, you know.
So um, years passed by, you would have thought Apple'd be gone in a week.
You know, here we are all these years later
and that's the kind of battle you deal with.
You can get up here. I don't mind.
-Come on. Come on. -[Toney] They love that.
Well, come on. Come on, I love it.
-I don't mind. -You got her?
Aww, I think you like doing this.
Yeah. [laughs]
I think you like doing this. Good job.
[all laughing]
Wow, Apple. She's my baby. I got a couple kisses.
Apple, she uh, picked her person. That was quick.
-I know. -[Mariah laughing]
She's been here a while and that's not good.
She does have some issues that are gonna come up with her possible ear issues
If nothing else, she's gonna have lots of checkups
to make sure these conditions aren't progressing.
[Mariah] No matter what dog, they know we're always here.
I think Apple's beautiful. It doesn't matter what her ears look like.
Oh, you're a good girl.
-Bye, Apple. -See you in a minute.
Keep petting her. Keep petting.
Oh, I gotta get a kiss before you go in. Alright, I understand.
-Okay, that was sweet. -Thank you. Thank you, baby.
I think somebody liked you a little bit.
I think Dennis loves Apple.
[Dennis] It makes it so hard. [laughs]
[Mariah] Alright, well let's do Bartolo next.
Bartolo is eight years and eight months old.
We've had him his whole life
A really nice family brought him to us
and I think we just really wanted to show him
because he's been with us for so long,
and he's absolutely amazing with children.
[Toney] You came for the pit bull fashion show.
-[laughing] -[Dennis] He's got his jammies on.
-[Mariah] I can't even look at him. -[Edie] I love him.
[Toney] See, he's not gonna be shy.
-[Dennis] Hello. How are you? -[Edie] Hi, sweetie.
-You're so freaking cute. -How you doing, buddy?
Oh, I like this here. There you are.
He wants that treat?
-Okay, come on up. -That's a treat right there.
-"Was that yours, lady?" -Hi there.
-[Toney] He's crawled up in this chair. -[Mariah] The butt.
Watching his butt try and climb on the couch,
and all I see is this Christmas pit bull butt wiggling.
Come on! That's called cheating.
-[Dennis] What's his name? -[Mariah] Bartolo.
I think you should start putting pajamas on them. Start dressing these dogs up.
I'll send some wardrobe here for you people. [laughing]
Come on. Come on. You got it. You got it.
-There you go. -There he is
-[Mariah] You're gonna steal the show right now, buddy. -You kinda are.
-Well, yeah. -Yeah, good boy. You're okay.
-Good job. -Good baby.
Bartolo, he was so sweet.
He seems pretty gentle and just seems like he needs a lot of love.
They just did um, kid testing with him.
-Uh, like with all the kids. -Yeah.
-He did amazing. [laughs] -Good.
We don't want to take a dog unless it's good with kids
because we have two grandkids at home that we spend a lot of time with.
That's all that there ever is.
As long as they're good with all the babies, all the different kids.
Bartolo, he was awesome.
Didn't show any signs of really being an older dog.
He seems real healthy. That's nice.
He would be great in our home because we do have the grandkids
and they want to do this and go there and kick a ball,
so I think he would probably take part in all of that.
-You're a good boy. -[Mariah] He comes with the pajamas.
-[laughs] -Pajamas included.
-Okay, that's even better. -[laughing] Sold.
-Thank you for meeting us. -[Dennis] I know.
Okay, so the next dog, Mallory is around eight and a half years old
and she's been with us her entire life.
She's really shy at first, which is why we picked Mallo for Edie and Dennis.
She's shy, but she's super, super sweet with everyone.
And she's a senior, so what better people
to be Mallory's potential family than them?
-[Edie] Hi. -[Dennis] Hello, puppy.
Hi, baby girl. Hi, baby. Aww.
-Come on. Come on. -Oh, now.
-Come here, sweetheart. -She's cowering a little bit.
We're gonna open up. Let's take out time.
-Come on over here. -Oh, she wants to.
I can see her. She keeps coming--
-It's okay. -Come here, baby.
Mallory definitely was very, very shy.
I know. I'm gonna give her a minute.
We're gonna take our time, alright? It's okay.
It's not the Mallory I'm used to.
Go say hi. Good girl.
[clicks tongue] It's okay. I know you want to.
With new people, she can be shy,
so finding that home that she could trust the people and they,
you know, accept that love and give it back,
that would be a great thing for her.
[Dennis] Hi, honey. Did you know...
-Yeah, did you know Angelina? -Aw, okay.
Did you know Angelina.
She came out very timid, very shy.
Made me think of our first dog that we ever came to Villalobos for was Chaumet.
She was passed over countless times due to that
She has that little shyness, but she just wants love.
You know, she just wants that love.
-[Edie] She just wants to cuddle. -She gets scared.
The thing that's hard too and why she gets overlooked
-'cause she's so shy at the beginning-- -Yeah.
...and people are so quick to draw with it.
And that's okay. Not everyone is equipped for that.
-And that's why there's people like you in the world. -Right.
I really liked Mallory, I thought that she was really cute.
She seems very sweet.
She was real shy, but that's okay.
So sweet. You can tell she just... She just needs some love.
Can you swim? Wanna go swimming?
We can go home and warm the pool up, take you swimming.
I got some grandkids who are ready to love on you.
Mallory would be great in our home. It's very quiet, you know.
The grandkids get over there and get a little noisy,
but we could take the time with her
to let her know that that's her home
and that would be... Then she could rule it.
Do you want to share what y'all are feeling right now
or you want to keep it until you tell me? [laughs]
I can't make a decision.
This has been a really difficult pick because everybody needs it.
It's like they all need it and we're going to make damn sure
that they all get a home.
They're all going to be taken care of,
so you need to pick who you think is going to be right.
The joy of to pick one is not as hard as to not pick one.
[Mariah] Yeah, I get it.
[Edie] It's such a hard decision.
[Tia] The mission behind what we do is basically helping the underdog,
whether it's on four legs or two. That's what we've always done.
Thanks, mom. I appreciate you.
[Tia] So to be able to help a former felon,
someone who's been incarcerated,
it just goes along with the motto of what Villalobos is all about.
I'm checking that you're in now. You gonna be okay?
[Tia] You can come here and we are not going to judge you
for where you come from.
Just who you are now and what you have to offer.
You know, I've been asked throughout the years so many times,
"How come you don't hire any female parolees or female former felons?"
It's not that I don't. They just don't apply.
-Good morning. -It's morning for you, right?
So Dani was the first one that actually really
kept pursuing wanting a job with us.
So um, when you answered the post for this job position,
was it one of my infamous, "Help wanted. Must have criminal record" ones?
Was it? Okay. I wasn't sure.
Absolutely. Absolute... That's why I was like, "How can I not?"
Dani answered a post I did on social media looking for experienced dog handlers,
slash, "I prefer you have come from a prison dog program."
And she told me that she had been a part
of a prison dog program in California.
Your story is really interesting for me
because it happened when you were young.
Dani's past criminal record is definitely one of the harshest we've ever had.
So, I only recently did this just from like, looking you up and stuff
that you were charged as an adult.
-And I thought, "Wow." -Yeah.
You know, I thought that was like, you know, different than what I'm used to.
-Then, did you get sent to adult prison? -[Dani] Yeah.
So, my name is Dani and I definitely did not have the easiest childhood.
We didn't have much. We didn't have much money.
And I started drinking and using pretty early on when I was about 14.
I started drinking and usin by the time I was 14 and a half,
I was a full-blown meth addict.
And I know I had positive people in my life
who tried to show me something different,
but because I didn't feel worthy of that,
I chose to look at the people who basically spoke my belief systems about me,
who let me know that I was not that good of a person.
So by the time I was 15, I was no longer living at home.
On the morning of September 23, 1995,
I get a call from my boyfriend at the time
saying he knew someone that we could rob. And I wanted money for drugs
And... And when we went to rob her, it turned out she was home.
The truth is I only remembe so much of what happened that night,
so I've just always assumed the worst.
I always assumed that I helped kill Miss Carroll
um, 'cause she was murdered that night.
I was, at that time, the kind of person
who probably would have done that.
At the time of her murder, I didn't see her as a person.
Like, I saw her as a means to an end.
I was tried as an adult, convicted of first-degree murder.
And given a 25 to life sentence.
So, I went through like, the whole juvenile process.
And then once I was full convicted, I went to CYA.
I've actually been there. I used to be a gang counselor, a youth gang counselor.
So I used to visit kids there, so I know exactly.
To have somebody come to work for Villalobos
with that crime hanging over their head, um, is a first for us.
It's not everyday that you hire somebody
who has been imprisoned for murder.
They had so many good progra and a lot of opportunities.
So different from when I went to adult prison and it was like,
"You're a lifer. You're gonna die here.
There's no reason for you to even be in these programs
-At first, that was kind of the mentality. -Wow.
Yeah, so it was very different.
I thought I was gonna die in prison.
Like there was no doubt in my mind when I got there
that I was gonna die in prison.
People told me that like, "Settle in, get comfortable. You're gonna die here."
What started to change that for me was thinking that if I give my life purpose,
in any way help make the world a better place, then my life still has purpose.
Now, do you think it was attributed to like, the program you were doing?
And I know that's probably where you probably fell into the prison dogs program
was probably in adult prison then, right?
They wouldn't even let me go to the prison where they had the dog program at firs
because they quit letting lifers go there.
So like, that was like my goal. Like one day, someday.
They ended up closing down the max facility I was in,
and I got to move to a lower level
and they had a dog training program there.
The dog program gave me something different than what I was getting
from every other like, self-help group seminar, workshop that I was doing.
Like, the dog program was just... It was a differe
kind of healing that I hadn't had.
That unspeakable relation between another living thin that's not judging me
and is not wanting anything from me
or doesn't have an agenda, isn't manipulating.
And so, getting to work with the animals,
there was some like, transformative work that happened
and it definitely built me as a person and gave me hope
that like, no matter how hurt, no matter how afraid,
like, everything can heal.
That was like, where I found purpose.
Like, actual heart and soul purpose.
Okay, so how long were you in the prison dog program then?
I started in February of 201
and I paroled from that pris in 20... May of 2017.
-Cool. A few years. -So, yeah. For a while.
Okay, wow. Okay.
So aside from what she went to prison for,
there is also what she does now. And that's trains dogs.
Anybody can say that they're a dog trainer.
But basically show me what you got.
It has to be a case of Dani coming here to show me
how she handles a dog, you know, that kind of a thing.
One of my concerns is the transition
coming from California to Louisiana.
It can be shocking.
This is probably the most complicated job interview I've ever done
'cause there's so many different things to think about.
There's the nature of Dani's crime,
her experience and her talents.
Does she have what it takes?
So when you get here, we'll be working with some dogs.
Awesome. Thank you so much.
We're, we're excited to have you
and crossing our fingers that you love this crazy place
as much as we do. [laughs]
[Lizzy] Heidi and I rescued a small dog
from the train tracks not too long ago.
Unfortunately, we checked the microchip information
and it said it's a dead end.
A lot of times what happens is so many of these dogs
will have microchips and we just can't find the owner
because of not registering
or not updating the information.
Every time I hear her name,
I think of, like, the Beatles song.
We named her Michelle.
We've given her some time to kind of settle in,
so we would like to vaccinate her
and, uh, test her for heartworms.
Okay, go ahead.
It's okay, baby. It's okay.
There's a good girl. There's a good girl.
We've been trying to check, like, Facebook Lost and Found.
What a good girl.
We did it.
We've done everything that we can on our end
to track down an owner.
So the hope at this point is that somebody just comes looking for her.
[Heidi] It's okay, baby. You're okay. Yes.
[Lizzy] We tried everything on our end
to be able to track down an owner.
We can only do so much.
It's up to the owner to, you know,
make the effort to try to find their dog.
We did everything we could on our end and unfortunately came up empty.
It's, so far it's not positive?
Mmm-mmm.
[Lizzy] If she's heartworm positive,
then we have to keep her her for a few months.
So we always obviously hope
for the dog to be heartworm negative
first for their health.
You know, we don't want them to be sick.
But also, if they're negative,
they get to leave much quicker.
So, fingers crossed.
It's been four minutes.
-[Heidi] Whoo! -[Lizzy] She's negative?
[Heidi] Yeah, she's negative.
Yay. [both clap]
-Yay, Michelle. -Yay, Michelle.
-[Heidi] Oh, she's hyper. -[Lizzy] She's happy.
So, for Michelle to be heartworm negative,
she would definitely be abl to go to this rescue partne
and go into foster homes
and then be adopted from there.
And they all get homes pretty quickly
because they just have, like, such a large network of people
who are interested in smaller dogs.
Am I your mama? Hi, baby.
[Heidi] Oh, you guys are all connected now?
[Lizzy] Yeah, we're connected. Come on.
So today, I am meeting a potential new-hire.
Oh, there she is!
Oh, where's she at?
-Hey! [laughs] -Hi!
Oh, there she is!
Oh, where's she at?
-Hey! [laughs] -Hi!
-Yay! -How are you?
-I'm good, you? -Yeah, you look good.
So, yeah, Lizzy's my daughter-in-law.
-I'm excited to meet her. -So, um, perfect timing that she got here,
'cause I want you to meet her, wanted her to meet you.
-[Lizzy] Hi. -[Tia] This is Dani.
-It's nice to meet you. -Hi.
So nice to meet you.
I think it's pretty cool
that we have our first female parolee,
because we're actually a pretty big group of women
who keep this rescue running.
When we made the decision to move into this building,
I said, "Okay, this is going to be the healing center."
-That's our dream. -Yeah.
[Tia] You know, back in California
when we didn't have hundreds of dogs,
I was able to actually train dogs.
I was actually able to, you know,
hold classes for the public
and help them with their dogs.
And since we got to Louisiana,
I feel like we're just like a machine.
[gruffly] We just gotta keep going.
You know, because the dogs come at us so fast.
And I haven't been able to train a dog since.
So, to see Lizzy
kind of pick up the torch and go,
"Well, I wanna try this,"
just changed everything.
I was just bragging about you.
I said how you were learning so many cool things now.
Like learning how to, like, not label them this or that, like...
-A bad dog. -Bad, naughty...
It's like, no, fearful, anxious.
-You know what I mean? -Yeah.
And figuring out ways to deal with it.
And then, "How can I help that?"
-Yeah, exactly. -Yeah.
-That's cool. -[Tia] See?
[Tia] My hope is that if it works out with Dani,
that she is going to be here to not only assist Lizzy,
because Lizzy now is getting really into the training
and the behavioral aspect and shelter management
and environment for these dogs.
So I want Dani to be her sidekick.
Each building is five kennels only.
They have a cabin attached to it.
They're all air-conditioned and heated.
Okay, that's cool.
All of our dogs are crate-trained.
Right now, they're on nap time, down time.
That's why it's so quiet.
-Yeah. -This is such a cool system.
I mean, you know how it can be when you're working with a dog
and there's so many distractions.
-I do, yep. -So just start them somewhere with less distraction,
and then you can build up to bringing it outside or...
You know what I mean, it needs somewhere to, like,
start them inside or especially if there are an anxious dog
just an area away from everything.
That's, when I first started learning,
we learned about, like, the three Ds,
-the distance, distraction... -[both] ...and duration.
-Right? And then, yeah... -Yeah.
There was a moment that they were talking about something
and they both, at the exact same time,
finished each other's sentence.
It was like a match made in heaven.
I'm super excited.
What are you doing tomorrow? It's Friday.
Tomorrow, I have some adoption calls in the morning
and then I'm practicing, uh, training with Ambria, recall.
You might be able to help me then with this,
'cause I'm having a little bit of a hard time with her recall.
-She's super distracted by the smells on the ground. -Got it, okay.
Dani's got the best personality.
She's super bubbly.
She's super positive.
She's enjoyable to talk to, which...
If she portrays that, you know, onto the dogs,
it's gonna be a win-win,
because that's what these dogs need.
And I don't wanna get my hopes up,
but I'm hoping.
[Moe] Okay, guys. There's a dog coming.
We gotta make sure we don't touch the dog
or anything like that, okay?
Okay, buddy?
Dakota? Nakoa?
Anybody? Hello?
Hello?
[Mariah] Past adopters Edie and Dennis
came back to adopt another dog from us.
It's such a hard decision.
[Mariah] And after some thinking,
they decided on Apple.
[Moe] Okay, here comes. Remember.
Be quiet, no sudden movements.
It's like a T. rex.
[Mariah] Edie and Dennis have grandchildren
that visit their home pretty frequently.
So it's really important that we kid-test Apple
to make sure that she's gonna be comfortable
and happy around these children.
I'm coming in, but we gotta stay on the couch.
She's really shy.
Good girl.
Being an older dog and a little bit more shy,
this kid testing is extremely important.
She's such a sweet dog
that I am really hoping that this will go well.
-Hi. -What's the doggy's name?
-Apple. -Apple.
Noke, you wanna say hi?
-[Mariah laughs] -Hey.
-Hello, Apple. -Aw.
Now she's warming up.
You wanna pet her? See, now she's getting happy.
Aw. [laughs] My heart.
[laughs]
As I was walking Apple into the house,
she was really shy and kinda, like, cowering down
walking through the kitchen.
-Oh, good job. -[Moe] Be gentle.
-She likes you. -Yeah.
As soon as the kids were around Apple,
she opened up and got more happy
and that shyness just went out the window.
She seems pretty happy, right?
Aw, thanks, Noke.
You're so good at this.
Apple did way better than I even expected.
There's no doubt in my mind
that Edie and Dennis' grandkids
are gonna enrich her life a lot.
-Say bye. Oh, oh, okay! -[Moe] Nice.
[Mariah] I guess you live here until I take you to your home.
All that we have left to do for Apple is load her up
and take her to Texas to her new home.
Come on. [kisses]
[Moe] Bye, Apple. Good luck!
Doggy, doggy, come here.
Can we sit?
Good.
This is Dahlia. She's around...
Hi, [laughs] three-and-a-half years old
and she came to Villalobos
around two years ago as a stray.
She's just a sweet, fun-loving dog
and absolutely loves toys
Hi! Oh, my goodness.
[giggles] So cute.
She's obviously very good at cuddling and very sweet.
She needs to be the only dog in a home
and should be with children
probably a little over 10 years old
because she is very, very playful.
If you're interested in Dahlia or any other Villalobos dog
or donating to Villalobos,
go to animalplanet.com/pitbulls.
Hi!
-Good morning. -Good morning.
-Oh, I'm so pumped. -How's it going?
I get to meet up with Lizzy today
to work with one of the kiddos
and I'm super excited.
Oh you got your treat pouch. Okay, good.
-No treats, though. -[Lizzy laughs]
-Okay, I have some. Yeah. -I didn't know if I could take them on the plane.
I am going to bring out one of the dogs
that I've been working with for a while.
Her name is Ambria and she's available for adoption.
I'm just gonna let her sniff around, do her thing
and say hi to you, 'cause she's gonna
-wanna do that first. -Okay.
I know rescue is not all sunshine and rainbows.
It's frustrating. It's exhausting.
But that's the work I wanna do
and be a part of the solutio
Oh, little mama.
Ambria, she has a [laughs] big personality.
She's a really, really fun d
and she absolutely loves to learn.
She's very, very food-motivated.
There's still some times when she gets distracted.
[laughs] Hi, mama.
-Good girl. -Oh, my goodness.
-Good girl. -Hi, baby girl.
Oh, she is the cutest.
-She's so tiny. -She's small.
Oh, I love her.
I think the ultimate goal of coming here
is being able to work with these dogs
and that I relate to and I connect with
that are getting their second chance
like I've had my second chance.
-Look at her. She needs to know -Yeah.
-exactly what's going on out here. -Yep.
All right, so what all have you tried for her recall?
Like, what different things have you just...
I'll just show you what I've been doing
-to kinda build up to it. -Cool.
I'm really excited to have Dani here
and be able to work with her.
She's been training a lot longer than I have.
I know that there's things that I can learn from her.
It's always important to know
that there's always more to learn.
Okay, so I started off using the food as the lure
to kinda get her to come to me.
-Then I faded the-- -Good girl.
[laughs] I faded the lure,
then I was just using my hand,
and then I was trying to stop using my hand, basically.
When she's looking away from me,
I'll just... [kisses]
...and that's what I've been doing.
And then once, once she's looking at me,
then I'll kinda, I'll kinda like,
-hold the treat and kinda have her come this way. -Get her, lure her in, right.
What I'll do is I'll show you what I was doing
and then I'm gonna hand the leash to you
-and see how you would do it. -Okay, cool.
[kisses] Ambria.
Come. [clicks]
Good, yeah. [kisses]
Ambria. [kisses]
I've done a couple good repetitions.
She's feeling good and I'm feeling good...
-[Dani laughs] -...and she's still excited.
Here you go.
[kisses] Good girl, yes.
Oh, good girl. Yes!
There you go! That's it.
Good girl, good girl. Come!
Good girl.
Yes.
-Good girl. -[Lizzy laughs]
Ready, mama?
Aw, what a good girl.
What a good girl.
Dani is very positive, which I love.
Um, it's really important
that the dog is having a good time
You know, when people, a lot of people think of training
as, like, very strict and very controlled
and very structured, and that's not really fun.
[Dani] I've got the advantage of being something
new and exciting, like a squeaker.
[Lizzy] But that was really good. That was so good.
One more time, let's see if she'll come over to you.
Ambria. [kisses]
Hi, baby.
-Come! -[Lizzy laughs]
I like Dani's approach.
I love seeing Ambria have fu
and be willing to do some work
with somebody other than myself.
Yay! Oh, what a good mama.
All right, you did very good, mama.
Yes, you did.
-[laughs] -[Dani] All right, not too bad.
No, that was great, are you kidding me?
-Thank you. That was, like... -Of course.
It was actually super helpful
watching the way that you did it.
Ah.
Good girl.
[Lizzy] Now that I've seen Dani in action,
I do think she is a great fi for Villalobos.
Um, I feel like I even learned from her.
It's fun to, like,
bounce ideas off of other trainers
and you can get creative and brainstorm with each other.
I'm really excited to have that.
-You need a family, mama. -She needs a family.
I do think people tend to be judgmental
if they hear somebody is a parolee.
They start to wonder what they did
to end up on parole.
Um, and that's hard.
It's hard when you're trying to, you know, change your life
and do things differently, uh, and move on from your past.
So we try to welcome people
and see them for who they are right now.
I'm just excited to get to know her
as a new employee and as a trainer.
-Thank you so much. -Thank you.
[Earl] Today, we doing a load-up with Apple
and we are heading to Texas today.
Everybody's excited about Apple being adopted.
She been around almost 10 years,
so it's her time.
-I knew it. -Aw, I think you like Dennis.
-[Mariah laughs] Yeah. -You like me?
I think you like Dennis.
[Mariah] Yeah, laying it on thick.
[Earl] Even though they are proven adopters,
you never know how Apple's gonna accept their environment.
So we still have our fingers crossed,
because it'd be a terrible thing
if we have to go back and get her.
Oh! I didn't even see you there.
[Dani laughs] I've been over here harassing...
I've been harassing the cats with my love.
Lizzy was so pumped
after spending the day with Dani.
She just said, "Oh, my gosh Everything that came out of her mouth was amazing."
You know, "She works on the same level as we do
as far as her theory on dog behavior and dog training."
So that was a relief, you know, to hear.
So as you can see, everything's different here.
We don't have outdoor kennels.
-Uh-huh. -We have a few, but we're converting them all.
We're converting everybody to the mobile homes
-and then during the day, they're out in their yards. -Nice.
As you can see, it's quiet.
-It's so quiet out here. -Yeah, yeah.
-Like, you would not know. -I know.
-Everyone says that. -That's amazing.
Though Dani's knowledge of dog training is so beneficial,
I am such a huge advocate, as most people know,
of the training techniques that are involved
in the prison dog programs.
So it's gonna be a big help to have her here.
Behind each mobile home is turnout yards
in addition to the big exercise yards.
-[Dani] What a healthy environment, though, for the -[Tia] It is, it is.
We see how happy the dogs are out here.
This is absolutely a huge step towards living my dreams,
living the life that I've hoped for.
I'm so excited to get to do the work.
Like, to get to work in rescue,
to get to work with her crew
with people who have been where I've been.
Like, I'm just so grateful to have the opportunity.
So, what'd you think of everything?
I mean, I know it's a lot to take in with all the stuff.
You saw the new building and...
-I'm pumped about it. -Yeah.
It's not too much. I feel really happy about it.
She cares about people who've had struggles,
who have made really bad decisions,
who other people think are awful people,
irredeemable, like, we hear it.
Tia's like, "Bring them on over." [laughs]
It's refreshing.
Yeah, this is great.
[Tia] Someone who has her pa
could've definitely gone a different route
and instead, she chose to move forward
and really make something of her life,
and you can see that.
-[Mariah] Hi. -[Edie over phone] Hello.
[Mariah] It's been a few wee
since Apple has been in her new home
with Edie and Dennis.
So I wanted to do a little video call and check in with them.
Okay, so tell me, how are things going?
-[Edie over phone] Say hello -Apple!
Oh, my goodness. [laughs]
-[Mariah] Hi. -[Edie over phone] Hello.
Say hello.
[Mariah] Apple!
Oh, my goodness. [laughs]
This is so cute. [laug]
So I would ask if she's doing well,
but, uh, I think I can see that.
[Mariah giggles]
So, tell me, how are things going?
-Did she meet your grandkids yet? -[Edie] Oh, yes.
They all love each other.
Good. No anxiety issues or anything, like being shy?
[both] No.
[Dennis] She saw them for the first time
-You know, she's already bee in their beds with them. -[Mariah] Aw.
-[laughs] -[Dennis] They've spent the night,
and she just raced straight in there, looking to see if they were here or not.
All over them, she loves the
Got her new backyard that she loves
and you've actually...
Quite active, like wanting to walk a lot.
-[laughs] -When she's done, she's done
You think you're gonna have to carry her home
or call a Uber, but... [laughs]
-[laughs] -She's a little of a social butterfly.
She will lie down in people's driveways
if you walk her down the sidewalk
and wait for people to come, like, pet her and get to know her
so she's kinda greeted every single person in the neighborhood
whether they like it or not.
-[Dennis laughs] -I cannot tell you how happy that makes me.
And how long that poor dog was with us,
and now she's living a life that I want for every dog.
Seeing how calm she is
definitely warmed my heart.
Apple looked like a stuffed animal.
She wouldn't move at all.
Did you guys keep her name or change it?
-She's still Apple, yeah. -That's Apple.
[Mariah laughs]
[Dennis] She's the apple of my eye.
Aw, stop. [laughs] You guys.
[Edie] She's been the best.
She's been such a good dog.
Good stuff, good girl.
[Mariah] Medically, has she had any other issue
or anything since she's been there?
-She's doing great, doing great. -Yeah.
She's learning to become a Velcro dog.
She likes to be right with you
and see every, every activit you do, period.
[Mariah] It looks like she's doing very, very well
I mean, what more could you ask for?
She looked so calm and so happy
and absolutely loves their grandkids and them.
This is exactly what she needed
and where she should spend the rest of her life.
She's just like a sack of potatoes right now.
She actually does get up and move.
-Yeah. -[Mariah laughs]
I don't believe either one of you right now.
-She does move. -[Mariah] I don't think she's going, oh.
Is she getting up?
-[Dennis] It's all okay. -[Mariah laughs]
-Come on. -[Mariah] Oh, my goodness.
[Dennis] Oh, there you come
[Mariah] Apple was at the rescue for almost 10 years.
Like, think about 10 years of your life
and having to spend it in a kennel.
And now she's lying by a burning fire
on the floor with her mom and dad
and she gets to spend the rest of her life there.
That's all that I could ever ask for.
I'm glad I got to see you guys
and make sure you give her a big smooch for me.
[Edie] Okay, thank you.
-All right, I'll talk to you guys soon. -[Edie] Bye.
[Mariah] Bye.