PORTLAND, Ore. — The grandmother of a 6-year-old killed last December in a dog attack remembers her grandchild as loving, energetic and always able to put a smile on anyone’s face.
“He was just all heart, he loved everybody and loved everything, he wanted to live life, and he loved it,” Rena Scott recalled.
On Dec. 5, 2023, Loyalty was at the home of a family friend, 56-year-old Koko M. Miller. The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) told KGW in December that Miller was in the garage where she kept her two Great Dane Mastiff mixes when Loyalty opened the door and entered the garage. The dogs attacked and killed him.
PPB said that Miller attempted to stop the attack, and was injured and covered in blood when they arrived on scene.
Miller has now been charged with four felony counts, including criminally negligent homicide, maintaining a dangerous dog and two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment.
Rena Scott told KGW it’s hard to talk about the charges, especially when they involve the death of her grandson and a friend she had known for decades.
“It breaks my heart in more ways than one, you know. Not only because it’s my grandson, but I’ve known her for so long. Our families knew each other. We used to spend holidays together, so that’s hard,” she said.
The dogs involved in the attack have since been euthanized.
In a court appearance on Friday, Miller appeared visibly shaken as she stood in front of a judge and pleaded not guilty. She now owns a 3-month-old Labrador retriever. The judge required Miller to sign up for puppy manners classes at the Oregon Humane Society as part of her release.