Who We Are
The Puppy Coalition, founded in 2012 in Escondido, California and recently filed for state and federal status as a 501(c)(3) public service and charitable rescue organization dedicated to rescuing dogs (not just puppies) from municipal shelters that routinely kill dogs. Our office of record is now near Palm Springs (in La Quinta) but we have many locations around southern California where we have foster homes and volunteers caring for our dogs.
Anya Baker (left) is the San Diego area Director. Anya is from St. Petersburg, Russia and has been active in dog and horse rescue for many years. She has been in the retail cosmetic industry and is currently working on her third master's degree (psychology).
Debbie Snow is the TPC Director for North San Diego County. She is originally from Burbank, CA but has resided in San Diego County for over 30 years. She has been with major premier hotel corporations for over 25 years. Debbie is one of the original partners in dog rescue.
Francine Kokenis has been with TPC since 2014 as a volunteer and is currently a Board Member at Large. She primarily assists in the Los Angeles Metro Area. Her professional life is in film production. Francine is a native of Chicago but has resided in Los Angeles for thirty years.
Lyle Davis is a co-founder of the TPC and is a board member emeritus. He resides in Escondido, CA. Originally from Windom, MN and later Omaha, NE, he is the owner and publisher of "The Paper", a weekly newspaper for communities in northern San Diego County. Lyle is also a frequent benefactor and assists us with publicizing dogs that need adoption.
Bruce Krider is a co-founder, Chairman and Inland Empire TPC Director. His work life has primarily been in hospital management and consulting. Originally from Minnesota, he has lived in southern California since 1988. His first dog rescue was in 1987 and it started with one dog from New Orleans. Since that time he has rescued hundreds of shelter dogs either through the Puppy Coalition or in concert with other rescue organizations.
Karla Mathews is the President of The Puppy Coalition. She has been an avid dog rescuer for many years. She is from Los Angeles and resides there today. Professionally, she has been an international journalist and has worked in films. Her free time has been devoted to animal rescue and focuses on Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.