Discovery Press Web United States

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(Silver Spring, Md.) - This winter, Shorty Rossi took a bite out of time - his time, that is. For the past several years, he's been reshaping his life after serving a decade in prison, dedicating his life to rescuing and raising awareness for the most misunderstood dogs - pit bulls. This year, Shorty took his passion to the small screen; with an A-Team of little people, viewers were able to peer into an unconventional world where little people take on huge roles in saving the so-called pariahs of the dog world.  And the man in charge is the shorty called Shorty, and he best answers to the title PIT BOSS.

Shorty stands at just four feet tall, but that's the only thing small about him. An LA-based entertainment business mogul who founded Shortywood, a talent management company serving little people, Shorty has big ideas and lofty goals that he turns to gold. He leans on the success of Shortywood to fuel his rescue and awareness effort - Shorty's Rescue.

The debut season of PIT BOSS put Shorty, his staff and his pit bulls among the most popular fan-fav series on Animal Planet. With the success and the unwavering support and excitement among fans, Animal Planet is ordering a 14 more episodes to air this summer.

In league with the tone, direction and spirit of the first six episodes (the sixth premiering February 27), the summer episodes will continue to focus on Shorty's relentless work in repainting the image of the pit bull and rescuing LA-area pooches from unhealthy, neglectful and sometimes abusive situations. The new episodes will maintain a spotlight on this unconventional, extraordinary group of little people with big hearts.

"We loved Shorty, his team and his pit bulls from the minute we met him and are delighted our audience does too," says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. "PIT BOSS has become one of Animal Planet's top series, and the PIT BOSS fan site is currently our most visited. Happily, this leaves us only one option - we must bring back this fan favorite!"

"I am living my dream to the fullest," says Shorty. "It's the ultimate success to have combined my love for entertainment and my passion for pit bulls. I hear from fans several times a day via fan mail, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, and I read each and every word they are expressing. My heart is overjoyed, my spirit fulfilled and I can only hope to continue to inspire people the way they and these dogs have inspired me."

PIT BOSS is produced for Animal Planet by Intuitive Entertainment. Kevin Dill and Mechelle Collins are executive producers for Intuitive Entertainment. Erin Wanner is executive producer for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment.  APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.