Dr. George Cuellar and Sadie

Dr. Cuellar is the owner and president of Southern California Veterinary Hospital.  Dr. Cuellar worked at the Southern California Veterinary Hospital from 1985 to 1988 and loved it so much he bought the hospital in June 2005.

Dr. Cuellar was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and immediately moved to Mexico City with his family then to California two years later in 1961. He attended school in the San Gabriel suburb of Los Angeles.  Dr. Cuellar attended San Gabriel High School and then he moved to Atlanta Georgia and finished high school at Woodward Academy in College Park Georgia where he graduated Suma Cum Laude in 1977.

Dr. Cuellar graduated from the University Of Georgia College Of Veterinary Medicine, Cum Laude, in 1984.  He decided it was time to go home and, in the summer of 1984, immediately following graduation, he drove back to California.  His first job was as an associate veterinarian in a four-doctor practice in the San Fernando Valley where he met his wife Melissa and years later they have three children: his son, Jonathan, born in 1988, his daughter, Alison, born in 1990, and his daughter, Brenna, born in 1997.  In addition, there are the “four-legged” children: four dogs an English Pointer, Abby, a German Shorthaired Pointer, Sadie, a Shiloh Shepherd, Silas, a French Bulldog, Lucy, one cat Mikko and Timmy the tortoise.

Dr. Cuellar has had several leadership roles including: President and Board of Trustees of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association; President and Board of Governors of the California Veterinary Medical Association, Scientific Program Committee Chair for the Wild West Veterinary Conference in Reno; and currently Co-Chair of the Scientific Program Committee for the Pacific Veterinary Conference. Dr. Cuellar lectures on several topics in California and around the US. Dr. Cuellar is a board certified specialist in canine and feline practice as a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. He certified in 1992, specializing canine feline medicine and recertified in 2002.  Dr. Cuellar enjoys internal medicine, dermatology, and surgery.

Dr. Mark C. Rigoni and Ricky

Dr. Mark Christian Rigoni is the Medical Director of Southern California Veterinary Hospital.  He has worked full time at Southern California Veterinary Hospital since 1996.  He thoroughly loves working with animals and has enjoyed numerous pets in his lifetime.

Dr. Rigoni was born at the UCLA Medical Center and has lived in the Los Angeles area most of his life. He graduated with honors from Servite High School and started his college career at CSUF in 1979 studying physics, biology, and philosophy.  A few years later, he embarked on his first career as a fashion model and commercial actor which lasted about 10 years.  His first career allowed him to study on his own and live and travel extensively in Europe, Australia, New York, Caribbean, and Japan. While modeling in the Los Angeles area, Dr. Rigoni attended CSUN majoring in biology and philosophy.  He ended his first career and moved to Oregon in 1990 to finish his college career. He graduated in 1991 Cum Laude from OSU attaining his B.S. Degree in Biology.

Dr. Rigoni finally graduated from the University of Washington and Oregon State University’s DVM program, Cum Laude, in 1995.  Dr Rigoni is married to Natalie Lynn Rigoni who is a specialized animal surgical technician. Dr Rigoni has two children; his daughter Katarina Marie, born in 1997, and his son Hunter Christian, born in 2010.  His pets include 3 cats: Mufasa, Easter, Mimi, and two dogs Emma Star, and Kouri.  Besides his love for animals, he also enjoys outdoor activities and water-sports, such as water skiing, surfing, swimming, and scuba-diving.

Dr. Rigoni has a special interest in Dermatology and Surgery

Dr. Karen Kelly and Osa

Dr. Kelly is an associate veterinarian of the Southern California Veterinary Hospital.  She has been a part of the practice since 2002 and works 1-2 days a week.  She especially likes “the staff and the interesting case load”.

Dr. Kelly was born and grew up in San Diego, CA graduating from Torrey Pines High School in Del Mar.  Dr. Kelly’s father is a small animal veterinarian practicing in San Diego.

Dr. Kelly graduated from Colorado State University with a B.S in Environmental Health in 1990.  Then, she graduated from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995.  Dr Kelly did an internship at California Animal Hospital immediately after graduation.  Dr Kelly is a published author in the current Textbook of Internal Medicine.   She became a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 2002, specialty canine feline.  Dr. Kelly enjoys internal medicine, holistic medicine, public health, and preventative medicine.  Dr. Kelly also served as President for the Westside Chapter of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association for three years.

Dr. Kelly lives in Thousand Oaks with her husband, her daughter, and their pets.  She has two dogs Osa and Remy and one cat Kirby.  Dr. Kelly’s free time is spent riding horses and when she gets a chance her hobbies include scuba diving, traveling, reading and camping.

Dr. Dana Hernandez and Katey

Dr. Hernandez is an associate veterinarian of the Southern California Veterinary Hospital. She has worked here on occasion for 3 ½ years and recently started working 1-2 days every week including Saturday. She decided to come here for "the great staff I get to work with and wonderful clients"

Dr. Hernandez was born in Fontana and grew up in Southern California and attended from Ontario and Fillmore High Schools.

Dr. Hernandez graduated from University of California, Davis College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. Dr. Hernandez did a private practice residency in Internal Medicine at Los Angeles Veterinary Specialists in West Hollywood. Dr. Hernandez is Board Qualified and interested in Internal Medicine.

Dr. Hernandez lives in Thousand Oaks with her pets. She has one dog, Koby, a Pomeranian, and two cats, Katey and Lafawnduh. Dr. Hernandez spends time learning martial arts and doing Pilates. Her other hobbies include hiking, tennis, reading and traveling.