Our Mission
A love for animals and a dream coming true. Love At First Mutt was founded in September of 2018 by Marina Russo. Love At First Mutt is a Los Angeles County based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are an all volunteer and foster home based rescue.
We are dedicated to saving homeless and abandoned dogs from the overcrowded animal shelters. Overcrowding and overpopulation in shelters leads to euthanizing millions of friendly and healthy pets every year. We want to better the lives of the animals in our community by educating the public on ways to stop animal cruelty and to promote spaying/neutering of dogs/cats to reduce pet overpopulation.
Meet Our Team
Marina Russo
Founder and CEO
​
A passionate lover of anything furry, I have always been fascinated with all kinds of animals. I began volunteering at local rescues when I was 12 years old and quickly learned about the devastating shelter epidemic. I knew that I somehow had to help this growing number of perfectly adoptable dogs and cats. Working restaurant jobs to get through college, I always knew my heart was in rescue.
​
My main goal is to change the way people think about adoption and to raise awareness through educating the public about the importance of spay/neuter, fostering/adopting and especially to create an honest & positive image of bully breeds. In pursuit of her passion, she believes that we can make a difference, one person at a time, one dog at a time.
Kevin Doscher
Adoption Coordinator
​
Growing up with dogs created some of my happiest childhood memories, loving and caring for animals has always been an important part of my life.
Since living in Los Angeles helping dogs in need has become an important passion of mine. I love learning about and meeting all the different personalities, helping them to find their forever homes. There are so many wonderful homeless dogs in need of families, rescues are a huge part of their journey to make sure their faces are seen and voices are heard.