Dr. Johnson was raised in a house full of pets which launched her interest in veterinary medicine.  After graduating with honors with an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry, she graduated from the veterinary school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004.  In veterinary school, she was president of the Shelter Animal Student Support group and again received academic recognition from the Honor Society of Veterinary Medicine.  She went on to complete an internship in Small Animal Medicine, Surgery, and Emergency Care at Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Michigan.  In 2016 she became board-certified in canine and feline practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, a specialty organization requiring advanced work and testing in primary care medicine.

In 2005 Dr. Johnson moved to Southeast Portland and joined a 24-hour small animal practice where she worked until 2017 when she opened Buckman Veterinary Clinic.  She currently shares her house with Porter the terrier, three cats (Queen Caramel, Pixel Kitten, and Willow Tickle Tail), three rats (Poppy, Sweater, and Thimblewinter), Smolder the Bearded Dragon, as well as three pet humans – her husband Chris, son Connor, and daughter Viola.

Dr. Burges is an avid animal lover. She values providing high quality, compassionate care to her patients and loves getting to know her clients. She graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from Western Washington University in 2012, and obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2017. After working for a small animal veterinary practice in Sunriver, Dr. Burges relocated to NE Portland in 2019, where she and her fiancé Tim have enjoyed putting down roots. Dr. Burges appreciates the variety of challenges that veterinary medicine offers and is particularly interested in preventative care, internal medicine, behavioral management, and soft tissue surgery. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, gardening, being involved in animal rescue, and trying new breweries. She and Tim share their home with a three-legged cat fondly named Legolas, a schnoodle named Charlie, a mystery mutt called Riley, and the occasional special needs foster pup.

Dr. Jenny Carr brings an enthusiasm for progressive, evidence-based medicine and a dedication to compassionate care of both her patients and their families. Dr. Carr is originally from Nashville, TN. She attended the University of Chicago, graduating in 2004 with degrees in Medieval Studies and Italian Literature. While studying abroad in Italy, she volunteered for a cat sanctuary, solidifying her desire to become a veterinarian. She graduated with honors from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013, and then completed a rigorous rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She has been living and practicing in Portland since 2014. Dr. Carr enjoys all aspects of small animal practice, from soft tissue surgery to managing complex chronic diseases. Outside of work, she enjoys drawing, studying and foraging mushrooms, and dancing. She shares her home with her beloved chihuahua mutt, Smidge, and three cats: Death Star, Lily and Stella.

Dr. Whalen is a native Oregonian and enjoys living in the Mt Tabor area. She attended Oregon State University earning her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 2001 and her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 2004.  She has shared her love of animals with her 2 children, Darby and Amelia.  They care for Nacho Libre their 2-year-old handsome orange kitty, Lola, their 6-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, a Leopard Gecko named Squints, and 3 fish.  3 chickens complete the family.  They are named Boba Peck, Hen Solo and Princess Layer. Dr. Whalen has an interest in dentistry and has expanded her dental knowledge and skills by attending the annual dental forum. On the weekends, she likes to visit the family cabin in Parkdale, OR and relax with the Mt. Hood view or take a bike ride through the pear orchards.

Born and raised in Edison, New Jersey, Dr. Lo grew up with too many budgies and a golden retriever. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of California, San Diego prior to receiving her veterinary degree at University of California, Davis.

Alison is New York City bred. She attended Vassar College, earning her BA in biology, and completed Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine doctorate program in 2002. Immediately following graduation, she sought the quality of life afforded by the gorgeous Pacific Northwest. She adores people as much as animals and believes that it is through community and communication that pets can be cared for comprehensively and with the utmost compassion. She has a special interest in dentistry and soft tissue surgery and is ever eager to expand her skill sets in this excellent clinic. Alison balances private practice with spay/neuter programs when possible and thrives on teaching. Her passion, other than veterinary medicine, is eventing her “permanent teenage boy” horse, Otter, an off-the-track Thoroughbred. She also loves yoga, hiking, traveling, music, movies, books, napping, and snacking. Alison shares her home with Jim, a now dotty old man Llewelin Setter, a darling pair of “dumpster kittens”, Pekoe and Peony, and the newest addition of a sweet Whippet/Pointer/Pit youngster named Judy.

Dr. Avalon McKune grew up in in southern Oregon. At 18 she moved to Corvallis and began her love of the rain. After an undergraduate degree in biology, she moved to Scotland to attend veterinary school at the University of Glasgow. She spent an amazing 5 years there and moved to Portland amidst the early stages of the pandemic. She’s still getting used to how dry it is here in Portland!

Avalon loves the variety of veterinary medicine and how much there is to learn. From medicine cases to surgery, no two days are the same. She values communication with the human members of the family so everyone is on the same page and understands what’s going on.

In her free time, Avalon loves training her dog, Noodle, fending her cats off of all plastic in the home, running, gardening, knitting, and reading. She is also a tea snob and coerces her uni friends into mailing her Scottish tea every time she runs out.

Melanie graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Human Services in 2005 and after 7 years of counseling troubled teenage boys, she pursued her passion for working with animals. She graduated from the Veterinary Technician Program at Portland Community College in 2013 and enjoys both the animal and human aspects of this career. During her free time she enjoys taking care of her plants, hanging out with her pet rats, traveling, camping and hiking with her husband, Labrador Diego, and Mini Poodle Blanche.

Em is a New Jersey native, looking for a change in scenery has just moved to Oregon. They have had an interest in animals since at a young age when they volunteered at local animal shelters. Ultimately, they graduated from Camden County College in 2016 with an associate’s in Applied Science of Veterinary Technology. They throughly enjoy being a veterinary nurse and helping with preserving the human-animal bond. They share an apartment with their adorable grandma cat, Scootz. While not at work, they enjoy relaxing at home, cuddling with Scootz and exploring Portland!

Tracy graduated from the University of Oregon (Go Ducks) with a BS in biology and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 1998.  She also has a master’s in teaching from Concordia University and teaches middle schoolers when not helping pets!  She shares her home with a gaggle of goldens, two or her own and she does medical fostering for Golden Bond Rescue.   In her rare free time, she enjoys all things Pacific Northwest (hiking kayaking, beer, coffee, etc).

Brit has always been a big animal lover. She graduated from San Francisco state university earning a degree in Zoology/Biology. While attending university, she worked at doggie daycares and adopted her first dog! She moved to Portland 3 years ago where she got her start in the veterinary field. In her free time, Brit enjoys hanging out with her pets Guava and Guppy, film photography, and thrift stores.

Kassidee was born and raised in Northern California and made her way up to Oregon in 2016. She always knew she wanted to work with animals, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that she made the switch to veterinary medicine. She plans to go back to school to become a licensed veterinary technician to continue growing in the field. In her spare time, you can find her bouldering, paddleboarding, or catering to her royal kitties Goomba and Queso.

Belle is orginally from Georgia but moved here to Portland in 2005. Belle has worked in the Veterinary for 20 years and absolutely loves working with all kinds of animals. They started out working in a kennel when they were 19 and slowly worked their way up to technician and never looked back. They have a pittie mix named Stanley, two cats Morty and Martok Wayne, and two little guinea pigs Lavendar and Mugwort. When they aren’t at work singing to all the animals they are watching Real Housewives, cooking, or watering all the plants they own.

Alex (she/her) moved from El Paso, TX to the PNW in 2021. She has worked in the field since 2020. Alex has a 12yo Chihuahax named Worm. He somehow also traveled here from El Paso (found this out after I applied to adopt him). Alex thinks they are star crossed lovers. In her free-time she enjoys sitting with Worm while she works on word search, listening to true crime podcasts, reading fantasy fiction, and watching creepy movies. Alex is also fluent in Spanish. Alex loves the close knit community at Buckman and is very grateful for the relationships made with the pets and their families!

Liza moved from Chico, CA in June of 2020 to PDX, with Cat Enyo Loki Branch-Jolliff the demon spawn protector of Mildred and Henderson (Cat in photo is not Enyo Loki Branch-Jolliff the demon spawn protector of Mildred and Henderson). Liza is currently studying Psychology and Mortuary Sciences at CCC and plans to transfer to PSU soon.

Daniel has been an animal lover his entire life, and a devoted Cat Dad ever since being adopted and raised by a family of 15 feral cats at the age of 14. A New Jersey native, he graduated from Ursinus College in 2008 and moved to Providence, RI where he met his now-partner Sarah. He has worked the front desk at clinics in Portland, Seattle, and Providence, and is excited to discover where this new chapter at Buckman will take him. He lives with Eli (after Eli Manning) and Muggsy (after Muggsy Bogues), a pair of bonded tabby brothers who share a single brain cell.

Carlie has experience in the veterinary field extending back to 1995 when her volunteer work at the local cat shelter evolved into a paid position! She has a background in graphic design and drafting and is currently in school navigating her way towards a degree in nutrition. Carlie and her husband enjoy their brilliant Border Collie-Echo and the most fabulous French Angora rabbit-Georgio Buckman.  Carlie enjoys planning travels through North and Central America, and is obsessed with everything Scottish.  She is a yarn addict, and can often be found knitting at the front desk or showing pictures of her latest spinning and fiber dyeing creations.

Samantha is currently attending Linfield University to pursue a career in nursing. She is very grateful to work at Buckman while in school and enjoys being surrounded with a great group of people. Samantha is a dog lover and has always grown up surrounded by dogs throughout her life. Outside of work, Samantha enjoys going outdoors and swimming, spending time with her family and friends, and being active and exercising.