(Born on November 11, 2011, the youngest of 11 puppies, Riley was a Golden Retriever who shared his love with his family, friends and neighbourhood. He was a mentor to many puppies during his time with the family. Photos: Ryan family)
Riley was born on November 11, 2011, in Hammond Ontario. He was the youngest of 11 siblings to his mom Rosie and dad Rusty.
Riley, a purebred Golden Retriever, was an integral part of our family for nearly twelve years. He brought everyone joy, laughter, and unconditional love each and every day.
Having to say our final goodbye to him on October 14, 2023, was one of the most heartbreaking moments that we have ever had to endure as a family. He was not just a dog to us; he was our best friend.
Riley, you will be sadly missed.
I want to finish telling our story with a happier ending. It is about a man who deserves to be recognized as a professional and a wonderful person as well.
His name is Mark Cochran.
Dr. Cochran is a Veterinarian at the West Carleton Animal Hospital in Carp, Ontario. He had been Riley’s Vet for some time now, and he guided us through the last months and days as Riley’s health issues became more apparent.
I wanted to share our experience with Dr. Cochran to let other people know the kind of doctor and person he is. I am sure this is not news to those who know him already, nevertheless, I thought it important to share our experience with others.
I think I can speak to this issue perhaps better than most since I grew up on our family farm where we dealt with many veterinarians over many years. We all rely so heavily on doctors for both our families and for our pets and animals. They play such a vital role in our lives especially as we all grow older in life.
For Riley, as he aged, he started to develop some symptoms which caused him to slow down a little and which gradually had an impact of his normal daily activities. Dr. Cochran managed Riley through this entire process and provided him a level of care that was second to none. He provided the best medicines possible to help alleviate those issues and provided us with the best medical guidance to help our best friend. He would call our home for updates on a regular basis and would be there for us on short notice to see Riley, in person. He put Riley’s care and quality of life ahead of everything else.
Some reading this might say he was simply doing his job as a doctor, and you would be correct in this assumption. The difference is how Dr. Cochran delivered this care to Riley. More importantly as Riley suddenly became less of himself as things evolved, Mark was there for us to treat Riley with the great level of real compassion, empathy , kindness, and dignity you can only imagine.
On the day that Riley determined would be his last, we reached out to the clinic for help. It was a Saturday just as they were closing for the weekend and the only thing I could do after hours was to leave a voice mail for them to call me. That same day, and long after the clinic had closed, we received a call from Dr. Cochran. We were in a real sense of anxiety and worry for Riley as his condition that day had continually declined. From this moment forward, what Mark did for our family was special. Even with his office closed, and all staff gone for the weekend, and importantly, despite the fact he had plans that same afternoon with his family, he put all of that aside for Riley and for us. Did he say to call this office on Monday – No. Did he say to see how it goes over the weekend and call him back next week – No. He did what many would not do and made Riley his only priority.
Doctor Cochran put everything aside and asked us to bring Riley up for one final visit so he could caringly meet our wishes to do what was best for Riley in that moment. As a family, it is never easy to say goodbye to a loved one. It is even harder to do it for someone in your care who you have loved so much for 12 years. How Dr. Cochran helped us through those final hours, is something I will never forget. I will always be indebted to him for what he did for Riley and for our family. His level of compassion, patience, gentleness, and professionalism was unparalleled in anything I have ever seen before in veterinary medicine.
Being a medical professional should not be measured by your final exam scores at medical school. It should be measured by the qualities you demonstrate as a professional in the real world with real patients and dealing with real sorrow and grief. I don’t know, nor do I care, what final marks Dr. Cochran received upon his graduation. I do know what we experienced with him as a doctor and as a person. A person who demonstrated true compassion, sensitivity, and kindness in caring for Riley. Doctor Cochran went above and beyond for us. We cannot thank him enough for making Riley’s last moments with us the best possible in every single way.
Doctor Cochran – Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you for choosing to become a Veterinarian, thank for treating Riley’s last days with us in the most graceful, dignified and caring way possible, and thank you for your reassurance and for helping us to begin to heal in this very difficult time.
Riley is in a better place and at peace. He was so loved by so many, and the love he gave back to us in return in these past twelve years is immeasurable. Thank you, buddy. You are sadly missed.