PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — At 62 pounds and 20 inches tall, and a nose-to-tail measurement of 3-feet, 6-inches, 3-year-old King Jefe [boss in Spanish] is riding high after defeating 100 other dogs in the March Madness competition that was held last weekend just outside Windsor, North Carolina. Jefe won with 11 feet and 10 inches, which tops his 2024 win by 10 inches. But even more than the awards, King Jefe is being trained for a greater good. "It's a process. Everything that our dogs do, we train them," said Ras Blessings, also known as Coach Big Lion and King Jefe's trainer. "We prepare them for competition. Everything we do, we put in work up to this competition. We walk seven miles, then we did a 14-mile walk, [and] then we did a 17-mile walk." As summer approaches, Coach Big Lion is now training Jefe to save lives in the water. "The first thing I do is recognize what's going on in the water," Blessings said. "Somebody knows that somebody needs help or is struggling. I retrieve the dog, and I send her [the training participant] out. As the person grabs a leash, he brings it back in or brings him back in, or an adult, or whatever the case may be." Later this spring, Jefe will learn to rescue people who are suffering from a disease that sickens 11.6 percent of humans in America. "We're also about to implement a program called DATS, which is diabetic [alert] dogs," Blessings said. "So the dogs are trained to let you know when your insulin is high. When something is low, it alerts you." King Jefe and his trainers are vegetarians. The winning dog for breakfast has sweet potatoes, no sugar-added peanut butter, coconut, honey, and carrots. Coach Big Lion hopes to produce and sell vegetarian dog food, broth and treats to owners around the world. And, one step at a time, the coach and his dog are changing the narrative. "The American pit bull terrier has a bad reputation," Blessings said. "[By using their skills differently], we are directly giving them a better life; they are naturally a working dog, so you have to give them something to do. You know, we're passionate about what we do. We have a movement, and we're dedicated to the dogs. So we are branching out and we're about to do something great this year." ...read more read less