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.  Rest assured that you will consistently receive professional care and expert advice from all our experienced and specially-trained providers.

MS = Master of Science
DVM = Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
CPEV or CPEP = Certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian or Professional
CAEOL-Doula = Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula
PLBS = Pet Loss Bereavement Specialist
VHPC = Veterinary Hospice and Palliative Care Specialist

Dr. Ari Rozycki
DVM, CPEV, CAEOL-Doula

*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.    

Dr. Ashley Keffler-Roa
DVM, CPEV, CAEOL-Doula

*serving Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties
Dr. Ashley Keffler-Roa is originally from Texas but fell in love with California and moved her family here in 2009. She received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis in 2020. As a student at UCD, she enjoyed volunteering with various local community non-profit organizations that provide free veterinary care to those in need such as the Knight’s Landing One Health Clinic and the Mercer Clinic.  She was also involved with Pride VMC, the international LBGTQ+ veterinary organization, where she met one of the founders, our own Dr. Ken Gorczyca!  Dr. Keffler-Roa understands the importance of being able to say goodbye to a cherished loved one in the comfort of their own home and feels honored to support families during this delicate time.

Dr. Gina Henriksen
DVM, CPEV

*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. 

Dr. Ken Gorczyca
DVM, CPEV, CAEOL-Doula, PLBS, VHPC

*serving San Francisco and San Mateo 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.

Dr. Leah Vuksich
DVM, CPEV

*currently "on leave"
Dr. Vuksich grew up in and around the small town of Paradise, CA, with a veterinarian father who had a thriving mobile veterinary practice there.  She developed an understanding of the immeasurable value of in-home end-of-life care during this early time in her life.  Dr. Vuksich obtained her undergraduate degree in Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice from SF State University and earned her DVM from UC Davis in 2016.  She feels fortunate to offer the option of in-home service for people and their beloved pet family members, especially during such a delicate time when every moment matters.  Outside of work, Dr. Vuksich enjoys playing music, exercising, gardening and spending time with her husband, daughter and Boston Terrier, Sullee.  

Dr. Robert Sahaghian
MS (Comparative Biomedical Sciences), DVM, CPEV

*serving San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties
Dr. Sahaghian received his DVM degree from Iowa State University in 2002.   He has been practicing small animal medicine for the past 16 years - initially in Minnesota and Wisconsin and  for the past 7 years in the San Francisco Bay Area.   He recalls personally the difficulty in making this hardest of decisions and how fortunate he was to have the option of saying goodbye to his pets in the comfort of home. He is grateful to return that compassion by providing this service to others in need. 

Lori Cockerill
Office Manager, CPEP

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 Assistant, CPEP, CAEOL-Doula

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.