Who is Mariah Torres’ father?

Who is Mariah Torres’ father?

Introduction

Pit Bulls and Parolees is the long-running Animal Planet show that carried the Torres family—and a cast of dogs and ex-cons—to stardom.

One of the most popular shows on the network, Pit Bulls and Parolees, is a combination of redemption arcs, second chances, and happy endings that the world needs. Syndicated worldwide, there is no show like it.

And, like most shows on television, part of what makes Pit Bulls and Parolees so special is the cast.

Former military driver and colorful character Tia Torres leads a rag-tag group of unlikely heroes to provide new hope to rescued dogs.

Acting as an advocate for the unfairly vilified pit bulls she rescues are her children.

And one of those children is former child pageant star and tattooed cover model, Mariah Torres.

Mariah Torres has stayed pretty secretive about a lot of her life’s details. She prefers to keep the focus on the animals she loves and the future of pit bulls everywhere.

Fortunately, she’s shared a few interesting facts over the years—enough to answer fans’ burning questions.

Like, who is Mariah Torres’ father?

Is Mariah Torres married?

Is she gay?

And most importantly, how many dogs does she have?

Here are all the answers you need.

How many dogs does Mariah Torres have?

At the time of writing, Mariah shares her home with four furry companions.

Tater Tot—who some fans will remember as Tank from season 1 of Pit Bulls and Parolees—is a pit bull rescue.

Sloth is a deaf pittie that suffers from epilepsy.

Momo is a French bulldog, and Theo—a Sharpei Labrador cross—rounds out the group of happy misfits.

All of Mariah’s dogs were rescued through her mom’s Villalobos Rescue Center—first in California, and then once the family had relocated to their new home in New Orleans, LA, in 2011.

Does Mariah Torres have a job?

Almost every hour of Mariah’s days are already taken up with VRC.

From the time she was old enough to wield a leash and understand strong training principles, Mariah had a dog—or three.

She was knee-deep in cleaning the rescue center as a kid, and just as happy doing that as she was competing—very successfully—in child beauty pageants.

Unlike her more introverted older sister, Mariah has always been outgoing and comfortable in the public eye.

At just eight years old, her mom took her along to speak to the mayor and LA City Commission about the rights of dogs and spay / neuter laws in the city.

As the most comfortable at public speaking, she also represents her family at community and media events to defend pit bulls and shine a spotlight on the cruelty of dog fighting.

In the small amount of time when she’s not fighting for the rights of her beloved dog breed, she’s also set her sights on studying criminal psychology.

Who is Mariah Torres’ father?

Back in the 80s, Tia Torres met a guy named Aren Marcus Jackson.

While how they actually met is shrouded in a fair amount of mystery—some say they met when Tia sang in a country music band in California, and some say she met him through a dog she had rescued—the facts are clear.

Aren had newly been released from prison when he and Tia met in the early 1980s.

Things moved quickly for the couple, and by 1985 they were welcoming their first daughter—Tania.

In 1991, Mariah joined the party.

While the young family should have been in a good place, Aren hadn’t shaken his criminal ways—he ended up serving a 14-year stint in prison after his daughters’ births.

When he was released in 2006, Aren Jackson and Tia got married—but it was short-lived.

The pair were divorced by 2008.

In response to some fans asking about Mariah and Tania’s father, and speculating on Tia’s love life, Tia posted on Facebook to set the record straight.

“Speaking of [Aren Marcus Jackson]…I have not mentioned his name once for the past 10 years. I’ve been divorced for years.”

She also joked about a spin-off show for Pit Bulls and Parolees, in which potential suitors needed to go through her dog, Lucky, to win a date with her.

Does Mariah Torres see her father?

Yes.

Walking the talk, Mariah has been willing to look passed her father’s checkered past and enjoy a relationship with him now.

She posts about him on social media—wishing him a Happy Father’s Day and sharing photos.

While Mariah and her dad live on opposite sides of the US, she still makes time to catch up with him.

In 2021, she attended the National Finals Rodeo with him—something she hadn’t done since she was a kid.

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Is Mariah married?

She was.

Through Villalobos, Mariah began working with a volunteer called Marcel.

The heavily tattooed dog lovers hit it off, and began dating.

The romance was short-lived—after a quick Las Vegas wedding in 2016, Mariah filed for divorce in 2018.

At the time, Mariah said the relationship had soured long before that, and the pair had not been living together since a few months after their marriage began.

Prior to Marcel, Mariah had been engaged to her girlfriend, Florencia Carcagno.

Carcagno—also known on social media as Lady Tragik—proposed, but not before asking Tia for her daughter’s hand in marriage.

Mariah and Florencia broke up in 2013.

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