Our Team

Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB, CABC

Lead Clinician/Practice Owner (he/him)

Dr. Pachel is the owner and lead clinician at the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, OR. He received his veterinary degree from the University of MN in 2002 and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists in 2010.

He has operated house-call, office-based, and telemedicine-focused behavior practices. Dr. Pachel lectures throughout the world, teaches courses annually at multiple veterinary schools in the US, and has authored articles and book chapters on topics such as Intercat aggression, Behavioral Euthanasia, and Pet selection for animal-assisted therapy. He is a sought-after expert witness for legal cases involving animal behavior and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for dvm360. Dr. Pachel is a Vice-president of Veterinary Behavior on the executive leadership team for the Instinct Dog Behavior and Training franchise, as well as co-owner of Instinct Dog Behavior and Training Portland. Dr. Pachel is also a specialist consultant for Dutch Pet (a veterinary telemedicine platform), a veterinary behavior expert for The Vets (a nationwide housecall-based veterinary care provider), and a veterinary behavior expert for AnyQuestion (an app-based information service launched in 2022).

In his spare time away from the office, Dr. Pachel enjoys distance running, strength training, yoga, and calisthenics. He is a supporter of beer festivals, wineries, and the Portland food scene, and is always looking for new recommendations for places to visit. He shares his home with his husband, Robert (who happens to be a veterinarian as well), and a Bull Terrier mixed-breed dog named Corneliuz.

Katherine Pankratz, DVM, DACVB

Clinician  (she/her)

Dr. Pankratz graduated with her veterinary degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2014 and pursued a small animal rotating internship in New York. She completed her behavioral medicine residency program at North Carolina State University and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists in 2018. She stayed on at NC State for her fellowship and as a clinical instructor before joining the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, OR in 2019.

While striving to understand inter-pet conflict within her home, Dr. Pankratz became passionate about veterinary behavior. She aspires to help others rebuild their human-animal bonds. She is most interested in educating others to better understand and communicate with their beloved pets for harmony in the home.

Dr. Pankratz is an adjunct professor at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. She teaches veterinary behavior to the public, veterinary students, and fellow veterinarians through conferences hosted throughout the US and Canada. Her research projects have involved confirming the use of several anti-anxiety medications for cats and a novel non-medication device for the treatment of dog separation anxiety. For her research on the use of behavioral medication to improve the welfare of cats, she was awarded the RK Anderson ACVB Resident Award and JFMS Resident Best Paper Award.

Dr. Pankratz spends her free time watching movies, cooking, gardening, and learning more about Japanese language and culture. She shares her home with two cats: Quixote & Kaeto (blind). They enjoy communicating with each other in their unique ways and building upon new ‘tricks’, including teaching Kaeto to turn off the light.

Kimberly Krug, DVM

Clinician / ACVB Resident (she/her)

Dr. Krug grew up in Parker, CO, and attended Colorado State University for both her undergraduate studies as well as veterinary school. She graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2011 and moved to Seattle for a 1-year small animal medicine and surgery rotating internship at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle. Following her internship, she stayed on as an emergency and critical care staff doctor until 2019 when she moved to Portland to join the ABC team.

Dr. Krug’s interest in behavior medicine stems mostly from her Australian Shepherd Sori, who presented some behavior hurdles including fear of other dogs, generalized anxiety, and fear of veterinary visits. Dr. Krug started teaching cooperative veterinary care to ease stress and anxiety for Sori. One day she hopes all families will teach cooperative veterinary care to their pets as commonly as they teach sit and down. Dr. Krug is also passionate about teaching veterinary professionals how to prevent, recognize, and treat anxiety and fear in their patients. She believes behavioral health in all animals is vital to their overall health and well-being.

Dr. Krug shares her home with her two Australian Shepherds, Sori and Gatsby. They love exploring the outdoors, especially on rainy, gloomy days. She enjoys training her dogs and competes in nosework and agility.

Paige Pierce, MS, DVM

Clinician (she/her)

Dr. Pierce graduated with a BS in Zoology from Michigan State University, and then received a Fellowship to pursue graduate work in animal behavior and genetics at Texas A&M University.  Upon completing her Master’s degree, she moved to Oregon – not because she had a job lined up, but because she knew this was where she wanted to live. She worked for Oregon Fish and Wildlife for a few years, met her future husband there, and then made a slight shift in career path. She attended OSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine, and has been providing health care for dogs and cats in Portland since 1997.

In general practice, she found that her ongoing fascination with animal cognition, social behavior, communication and emotional health allowed her to help families whose pets have anxieties and/or behavior concerns. Her particular areas of interest are reducing the stress that so many dogs and cats experience with vet visits, and trouble-shooting issues that crop up for performance dogs. Dr. Pierce joined the Animal Behavior Clinic as a part-time clinician in 2017.

Dr. Pierce and her husband share their rural home with three dogs, including a mixed-breed pup who apparently believes that dock-diving should be added to the list of family activities (because agility, nosework, hiking, cross-country skiing, and walking at the coast aren’t enough).

Joanna Sekowska, DVM

Clinician / ACVB Resident (she/her)

Dr. Sekowska was born in Poland, emigrated to the US as a young child, and grew up in Chicago IL.  She has always lived with dogs, but has had a love for all animals, large and small, furry and feathery, for as long as she can remember.

She graduated veterinary school in 2014 from the University of Illinois. She then practiced small animal general medicine for over nine years before pursuing a specialty in behavior. Her decision to pursue specialty was born out of love for the human-animal bond and desire to help educate pet guardians and veterinary professionals about solutions for behavioral problems that can diminish an animal’s and their human’s quality of life.

Dr. Sekowska shares her home with her husband and a lab mix named Henry. In her spare time, she prefers to be outdoors and especially in the wilderness, running, hiking, and rafting. Henry joins her on frequent adventures and takes every chance he can to roll in the dirt or jump into water.

Rebecca Young

Office Manager (she / her)

Rebecca joined the Animal Behavior Clinic as a full-time Client Care Representative/Office Assistant in June of 2021, and became the full-time Office Manager in March of 2023. She is native to the PNW as she grew up across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, moving to Portland in October 2020. She has an associate degree in Accounting from Clark College, but always had a passion for animals, and wanted to use her skills in accounting to benefit the causes around her that work to improve the relationships between humans and animals.

In her free time, she cares for her two cats Connie Cannoli and Ronnie Rigatoni and loves to explore the local food scene with her fiance Alex around Portland. She also loves going on road trips out to the coast, as well as up to Seattle and Canada, and she loves playing every instrument she can get her hands on.

McKenna Neale, CVT

Veterinary Technician (she/her)

Mckenna started her journey with ABC in 2017 when she was just entering the Veterinary field. Since she started she has grown immensely, completing a rigorous 2-year Veterinary Technician program at PCC and recently passing her board exam to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. Mckenna is Fear Free certified and Rescue (CPR) certified. Her veterinary passions include cooperative care training to help animals become more comfortable with the veterinary setting and melding her behavior background into standard veterinary care. She has previously volunteered with the Oregon Zoo, Cascades Raptor Center and done veterinary externships at Dove Lewis ER, Brooklyn Yard Animal Hospital, and Blue Pearl ER.

Mckenna lives in St. Johns with her husband James, and their dog Poe and when she isn’t working she loves to spend time with her friends and family, swim/paddleboard, play board games, and go on adventures to the coast and/or mountains.

Leah Weissman, CVT

Veterinary Technician (she/her)

Leah has always loved animals. She remembers playing dress-up as a little girl, while her siblings pretended to be princesses and cowboys, Leah would tie a jump rope around her waist and be the family dog. Eventually she had to grow up, and studied journalism at Western Washington University. Leah traveled the world, living in Israel when she was younger, and in London as a newspaper reporter. Her career as a journalist culminated in the coastal town of Brookings OR, where her articles about the local humane society reignited her passion for animal welfare. She moved to Portland and worked as a kennel assistant before being accepted to the PCC Veterinary Technology program.

It has been 10 years since Leah graduated as a Certified Veterinary Technician, and she has dedicated her time to learning, growing, and making a difference. Her role model is author and veterinarian James Herriot, whose experiences and writing have inspired Leah throughout her life. Leah joined the Animal Behavior Clinic in June 2023, and is dedicated to learning the beautiful and complex relationship that is animal behavior. When she isn’t working, Leah enjoys playing with her dog Raven, annoying her cat Lady, and spending time with her partner playing disc golf and reading

Noah Rosvall

Client Care Representative

Noah joined the Animal Behavior Clinic as a full-time Client Care Representative in March of 2023. Professionally he has done reception work for almost any industry you can think of, mortgage offices, a cookie factory, law offices, and of course veterinary clinics (having worked for an answering service, he has heard everything.) He loves hearing people’s stories and is always happy to talk about their pets.

An Oregon native, he only left the PNW briefly to attend Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah Georgia, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2014. He then decided that he missed the rain too much and promptly moved back to Portland. When he is not working, he enjoys making/enjoying art, collecting trinkets, and getting lost in Portland’s wonderful comic book stores. He also loves just hanging out with his wife, their 3 cats (Lego, Sriracha, and Prom), and their dog, a chihuahua mix named Bleu Cheese Louise (Bleu).