about us

Please read about our compassionate team and how each of us felt a calling to provide this very important service.  If you have a preference for a particular doctor, please contact us directly. 

Ari E. Rozycki, DVM

*serving Marin County
Dr. Rozycki is a 1995 UC Davis graduate who has been a practicing small animal veterinarian in San Francisco for more than twenty years.  While in private practice, he realized what a difference home visits make in helping pet owners "say goodbye" to their loved ones.  Being able to choose a loving and familiar environment is so important for our pets and for our last memories.    

Gina M. Henriksen, DVM

*serving San Francisco and San Mateo Counties
Dr. Gina Henriksen is a Bay Area native who received her undergraduate degree in Microbiology at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  She is a 2006 graduate of the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.  Her personal experience navigating the difficulties of saying goodbye to her own much-loved animal family members highlighted the importance of having as kind, gentle and peaceful a way as possible.  She feels honored to be able to help and support others through this difficult process. 

Ken Gorczyca, DVM

*serving San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties
Dr. Ken Gorczyca, born an ‘army brat’ in Philadelphia, graduated from the University of California-Davis with a B.S. in Atmospheric Science in 1979 and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1983. He started practicing veterinary medicine in San Francisco where he helped establish Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) and is a human-animal bond advocate. He learned to be an end-of-life doula by assisting many of his friends and clients die during the early AIDS pandemic. He is on the faculty at the University of Vermont where he facilitates the Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula Training Certificate Program. As a lifelong nature-based artist, he accepts commissions for pet portraits (KenGorczyca.com) and shows his work nationally. He also embraces ritual and ceremony for end-of-life transitions and is available for consultation to create a good ending story for your animal companion and family. In addition to being a devoted guardian for dogs and cats, he has raised guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, box turtles, birds, tropical fish, and a horse. He lives between San Francisco and Sonoma County with his terrier Kira and his husband Lorenz.

Robert A. Sahaghian, DVM

*serving San Francisco and San Mateo Counties
Dr. Sahaghian received his veterinary degree from Iowa State University in 2002.  He has been a small animal practitioner for the last 19 years, initially in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and for the past 10 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. He can recall how difficult it was to make the decision to let his dear Raven and Phantom pass on. He was fortunate in that he was able to offer his beloved friends the ability to move on to the next leg in their journey in the comfort of home. He hopes he can offer the same comfort and care he received to the families he serves through A Gentle Rest.

Lori Cockerill, Office Manager & Veterinary Assistant

Lori has worked in the veterinary field for over 35 years.  Being able to assist animals in need and provide them with love and comfort has always been her passion.  She has had a life-long love of all animals and now enjoys being a comfort to pet owners, as well, when having to “say goodbye” to their beloved pets. 

Zitlali Resendiz, Office & Veterinary Assistant

Zitlali (aka: Lali or Lolly) is a bilingual (Spanish & English) native Californian born in Clearlake and raised in San Francisco.  Having lived on a farm, she has great love and appreciation for all animals - everything from chickens to horses!  She has worked with animals for about 10 years now, mostly as a vet assistant and currently as a nurse for a veterinary emergency service.  After losing her own dear Bella Mae to a sudden mystery illness while still in the ICU, Lali understands the importance of being able to offer a much calmer and more peaceful way of "saying goodbye" to a loved one.  She loves and strives to be able to offer the option of in-home euthanasia to those pets in need.