When Tia Maria Torres, her family, and her dogs moved from California to Louisiana, they were literally starting from scratch at their new home.
Dr. Kristen was among the many wonderful people who welcomed Villalobos Rescue Center, taking them into the fold and standing in as the go-to animal hospital for the dogs.
The doc and her team were extremely helpful and great with the dogs. But after a while, Animal Planet stopped featuring Dr. Kristen on Pit Bulls and Parolees, and fans definitely noticed her absence.
Here is why Dr. Kristen is not on Pit Bulls and Parolees anymore.
Who Is Dr. Kristen From Pit Bulls and Parolees?
Dr. Kristen Kulinski is the founder of Cypress Lake Animal Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
She earned two Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Virginia in Biology and Psychology, a Master of Science in Animal Science from Louisiana State University, and her veterinary doctorate from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in 2006, where she won the Schering-Plough Internal Medicine Student of the Year award.
Before opening Cypress Lake in 2010 she worked emergency clinics and a specialized referral hospital, which equipped her to handle the complex trauma cases Villalobos regularly brought in.
When Tia Torres moved the rescue to Louisiana in late 2011, the dogs arriving from New Orleans streets came with severe heartworm infections, swamp injuries, and the physical damage of dog fighting operations. Cypress Lake was built for exactly that kind of caseload.
What Happened to Dr. Kristen on Pit Bulls and Parolees?
Dr. Kristen was the resident veterinarian on Pit Bulls and Parolees for nearly a decade. She and her team handled complex surgeries, heartworm treatment protocols, and the medical crises that defined the Louisiana seasons of the show.
The last time she appeared prominently was when her hospital location flooded and the Villalobos family helped rescue the dogs trapped inside. After that, Tia Torres began taking dogs to different veterinary providers and Dr. Kristen stopped appearing on the show.
Why Villalobos Stopped Going to Cypress Lake
Two things happened simultaneously around 2020 and 2021 that ended the partnership.
First, Cypress Lake Animal Hospital expanded to 24-hour emergency services in 2020. Running a round-the-clock emergency facility made it impossible to reliably accommodate a television production crew.
Filming requires scheduled reveal moments, camera setup, and lighting coordination. A facility handling unpredictable trauma cases at all hours cannot clear space for a production crew on demand.
Second, in July 2021 Tia Torres announced that Villalobos was relocating to a new property to escape repeated flood damage. The new site in New Orleans East was significantly further from Baton Rouge than the previous locations.
With a rescue population approaching 400 dogs, transporting animals to Baton Rouge for routine and emergency care had become logistically unsustainable. The show decentralized its veterinary care to providers closer to the new facility.
There was no falling out. Neither Animal Planet nor Villalobos made a public announcement because there was nothing dramatic to announce. The partnership had simply run its course as both organizations grew in different directions.
Villalobos Relocated to a Bigger Facility
“We endured flooding, broken electrical and water lines, and noisy traffic from the overhead bridge. But this old building is sentimental because it was the only one that would take us in when we left California,” Tia Torres wrote in a Facebook post announcing the move.
The new project, called “The Kingdom of VRC,” gave Villalobos more space and a supportive landlord willing to accommodate the rescue’s plans for a food truck, retail shop, and film studio.
Villalobos also subsequently opened a facility in Athens, Texas, expanding the rescue’s geographic footprint significantly.
Where Is Dr. Kristen Now?
Cypress Lake Animal Hospital is still operating in Baton Rouge in 2026. The clinic has evolved significantly from its original form. Dr. Kulinski is no longer the owner or the public face of the practice.
The clinic is now led by Dr. Morales, a Texas A&M veterinary graduate specializing in small mammal exotic medicine, feline internal medicine, and oncology. The practice continues to operate as a high-capacity regional hospital with emergency services.
The current veterinary care for Villalobos is handled through a decentralized network of providers in the Greater New Orleans area, with Dr. Allison Poche, a Baton Rouge native and LSU graduate, among the key figures in the VRC veterinary network for the later seasons.
Dr. Kristen gave Villalobos nearly a decade of complex veterinary care at a critical time in the rescue’s growth.
Her departure from the show was the natural result of two organizations that both became too large for the original partnership to sustain.
Earl’s story from Pit Bulls and Parolees is covered here if you want to keep reading about the show.
