The Post recently interviewed Tia Torres, the star of Animal Planet’s “Pit Bulls & Parolees,” which airs tonight at 10 and documents the New Orleans-based Villalobos Rescue Center, where parolees work with Torres in helping her place pit bulls in adopted homes.
Torres talked about many topics — including the impact Hurricane Sandy had on her business and her personal life.
Q: How many pit bulls do you have right now?
A: Can’t give you that exact number right now, but I know it’s probably over 200.
Q: Is that a lot?
A: Yes. It’s a lot. We were warned . . . that this is like the war zone when it comes to pit bulls in need.
Q: More misunderstood: pit bulls or parolees?
A: I would have to say parolees. You can’t blame a dog for getting itself into trouble. Adults . . . have to hold themselves accountable.
Q: So you had been in New Orleans less than a year when Hurricane Isaac hit the area?
A: For Isaac, we prepared for the dogs to be safe, but for me personally, I didn’t take into account where I was living. My place got hit and the next thing I know, it was the rescuer who needed rescuing.
Q: About a month later, New York and New Jersey were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Were you inundated with calls?
A: We were, but we told them we were still trying to come back from Isaac. We still had dogs here we were trying to reunite with their owners.
I’ll tell you when the reality of Sandy hit me. Maybe a month later, we had a couple here for a tour from New Jersey. And she said, ‘We lost everything’ and I said, ‘So did I, during Isaac.’ And the woman said, ‘You don’t understand. Things like that don’t happen in New Jersey and New York. We all sat there helpless.’ ”
Q: Do people get over the stigma of thinking pit bulls are evil by seeing they’re not?
A: Yes. When people come here they want to meet the dogs, because some of our dogs now are celebrities because they’ve been on TV.
Unfortunately it just takes one bad incident and [pit bulls] make news. The proof is all of us who work here are still alive. Nobody’s been bitten . . . Within any breed there are always going to be poor examples of that breed. Dogs aren’t perfect. People aren’t perfect.