Who would’ve thought that we would have to create a page specifically designed for visiting and tours? Yup Villalobos Rescue Center is now a tourist attraction! Now while this may sound fun and exciting to you, what some forget is that it is still a working environment for us. We juggle taking care of the dogs, doing the admin work, filming a TV show and being open to the public….all of which takes a lot out of us but we do it for the dogs. But if you’re coming all the way to New Orleans just to visit us, you absolutely have to take in some of the great things that happen here in this magical city. So this section has been created just to give you some ideas of the “who, what & where” to go. These are businesses that we have worked with personally and who have been so gracious and kind to us, since our move here to the “Crescent City”. Again these are just some suggestions to help plan out your trip. We’ve also given you some guidelines as to what to expect when coming to our facility. We want your visit to be a good one not only for you but for our dogs as well.
VILLALOBOS VISITING GUIDELINES (H2)
Be respectful (h3)
1. Again, this is a working environment. To you it is a “TV show” but please remember that we all still work here whether it is running the rescue or filming the TV show (that’s work for us too). And because of this we ask that you respect this. If filming is going on, DO NOT run up in the middle of it to “ask Tia to take a picture with you”. Sadly this has happened. If we are conducting an adoption meet n’ greet with potential adopters, please DO NOT interrupt their time with us to “get an autograph with Tia or any other cast member”…yup, you guessed it….this has happened before. If any of the workers/cast members are taking care of dogs, please DO NOT stop their flow of work as we have to keep a tight time schedule.
No video (h3)
2. Picture taking is allowed but not video. Because we are constantly filming here, allowing video defeats the purpose of having Animal Planet document our lives and work on camera. Again the “respect” word comes into play. If any of our workers/cast members are in the middle of working DO NOT stop them or get in their way just for the sake of getting a photo taken. In the past, we’ve had overly zealous fans literally stick the camera in our faces and the dog’s face just to get a quick pic. This is not only distracting but also dangerous. Not only can you startle the dog but our workers need to stay focused when handling the dogs. Use common sense when taking photos and there are always photo opportunities when the work is done and you see some of the cast member/workers standing around and helping with the visitors and tourists. This is link text. This is link hover text.
NO Video [h4]
NO Video [h5]
This is <strong> text. 3. Tours take about 20 minutes. You are escorted through the facility by your tour guides: Earl and Sui (our newest parolee)! They will introduce you to some of the dogs and then end the tour with a stop in our merchandise store: LAPIT. We can/will accept cash (we also now have an ATM machine), checks and will be setting up for credit cards.
Do not bring your dog
4. You CANNOT bring your personal dog into the facility. If you have no choice but to bring him/her, please make sure either someone can stand outside with him/her or that you have good A/C in your car. People sometimes forget that though it may not be too hot outside, the humidity can still suck the air out of an enclosed vehicle.