Catch the final season of Louisiana-shot ‘Pit Bulls & Parolees’ starting Saturday

The 16th season will be the last for Animal Planet’s “Pit Bulls & Parolees.”

Premiering at 8 p.m. Saturday, the New Orleans-shot series follows the workings of Villalobos Rescue Center, the largest pit bull rescue facility in the U.S. The parolees of the show’s title are the previously-incarcerated men (and this season, at least one woman) who also get a second chance as staff members and volunteers at the North Claiborne Avenue nonprofit.

Tia Torres, who heads Villalobos, and her offbeat family who also work there, are the show’s stars alongside the hundreds of dogs that viewers have watched find new forever homes over the 15 seasons.

And that work continues this season. Here are some highlights:

• As Hurricane Ida bears down on Louisiana, Torres and the crew race to relocate the canines to safety.
• Mariah Torres takes on Dorothy, her first solo wolf-dog rescue.
• Lizzy Chock and Earl Moffett help a music-loving couple from Kentucky find their dream dog.
• Tia Torres and daughter-in-law Chock answer a distress call from a shelter in Mississippi and accept eight hound dogs in desperate condition.
• The Villalobos team preps to welcome the public for a volunteer day as the new Villalobos Rescue Center location nears completion.
• Apple, a senior dog, finally finds her forever home.

Also, Saturday’s debut episode will be a part of Animal Planet’s annual “You Watch, We Give” tradition where for every viewer that tunes in to watch, the network will donate $1 to Villalobos Rescue Center up to the amount of $20,000, which will go toward food and shelter needs for rescued pit bulls.

Follow the show on social media by using the hashtag #PitBullsandParolees and follow Animal Planet on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

“Pit Bulls & Parolees” is produced for Animal Planet by 44 Blue Productions, a North Road Company.