BEAVERTON, Ore. (KOIN) — A longtime veterinarian at Companion Pet Clinic in Beaverton now faces multiple animal abuse charges.
Beaverton police said Dr. Daniel God Koller was arrested after an investigation that started in September 2019. He has been charged with two counts of aggravated animal abuse and two counts of animal abuse.
Jose Figueroa had been taking his dachshund Bleu to the Companion Pet Clinic since he was a puppy. In September, Figueroa brought Bleu to the clinic, concerned that Bleu had a hurt his left leg jumping off of the backyard deck. The x-rays came back normal, but staff told him to bring the puppy back in a few days later for a standard checkup.
“That’s when he saw Daniel Koller,” said Figueroa. “I brought him into the examination room and he approached my dog. He ended up grabbing him from the mouth. He was squeezing his nose super hard and my dog was crying and trying to escape his grip.”
Figueroa said Koller put his hand on Bleu’s torso and was pushing against his stomach.
“Eventually, my dog started peeing and pooping himself just because of all the pain and how tight he was [holding] him,” said Figueroa. “He still didn’t care, he didn’t let go to the point my dog was covering himself in feces.”
At one point during the exam, Figueroa said Koller picked the dog up off the table by the mouth, and he watched his dog slowly lose consciousness. When Figueroa protested to Koller’s handling of Bleu, the vet told him to leave the exam room.
Figueroa took Bleu to another emergency vet where they gave the puppy pain medication. Unfortunately, after breathing and immobility issues, Bleu later died. When asked if he thought Koller was responsible, Figueroa responded, “Yeah, for sure. I literally witnessed him kill my dog. My dog was perfectly healthy.”
He isn’t alone. Other former customers have also spoke out about Koller’s treatment of their pets.
“She was shaking, she was scared, she was awake. It was like he made her last day worse,” said Allen Worman who had brought his 14-year-old dog, Coco, into the clinic to see Koller.
For the last two weeks, people have stood outside the clinic with signs that read, “stop the abuse.”
KOIN 6 News spoke to 8 pet owners who have taken their pets to the Companion Pet Clinic. Three of those people said that Koller was a great vet who helped them through hard times. The other 5 said their pets were mistreated or abused.
One woman defended Koller, and said he saved her dog’s life.
“Dr. Koller is a wonderful person,” said Brittany Smith, who is a current customer. “I brought my dog up on multiple occasions. Dr. Koller, out of the goodness of his heart, saved my dog without charging, so I have nothing bad to say about [him].”
However, for Figueroa, he said he wants justice for Bleu.
“I just hope that there is justice because for me and my family, it’s one of the toughest things we’ve had to go through,” said Figueroa. “The way I lost him is traumatic, it’s hard to get over.”
KOIN 6 News has reached out to the Oregon Veterinary Board, which stated that Koller had his license revoked in Oregon back in 2008, but it was reinstated in 2015.
Koller and the Companion Pet Clinic refused to comment on the allegations. He is set to be arraigned on the 26th of this month.
If you think your pet was harmed at Companion Pet Clinic, call the non-emergency number at 503.629.0111.