Russell Otto, owner and operator of PetCare L.A., began working with animals at an early age. When he was 6 years old, he started out with his first dog, a black lab/chow mix. From there his interests grew to hampsters, gerbils, ferrets and many other small animals. At the age of 13, he became very interested in reptiles, reading and learning all that he could and, by the age of 18, had amassed a nice collection of these exotic animals. He has worked in pet shops and with the animals of family and friends to try to learn as much as possible about animals. At 22, he moved to Los Angeles to persue a career in the animal industry, leading him the the Wildlife Waystation in Angeles National Forest, CA. While at the Wildlife Waystation, he worked as a keeper in the reptile house. From there, he branched out into other areas at the Wildlife Waystation. He worked with many birds in their extensive bird collection, with primates, and also helped with the enrichment and care of some of their larger exotic animals. Along with his duties at PetCareL.A., Russell also works with the Tazzy Animal Rescue Fund which helps other animal rescue facillities such as Boxer Rescue Los Angeles. Russell has worked with pretty much everything from a finch to a golden eagle, a house cat to a tiger, a baby kingsnake to a 20 foot python, and geckoes to 12 foot alligators. He understands the needs of your pet, and, in your absence, will do everything to make your pet feel as comfortable as possible.