Dr. Leah attended the University of British Columbia, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, then suffered four harsh winters in Saskatoon at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. She managed not to get frost bitten (although her car did freeze completely for three days!) and moved back to the beautiful West Coast in 1995.

Dr. Leah began practice at the Granville Island Veterinary Hospital but after five years she decided it was time for a change. She moved to Coquitlam and joined the Shaughnessy Veterinary Hospital. In April 2001 she purchased the Hospital from Dr. Kassam and is enjoying both the practice and the management side of veterinary medicine.  In 2016 she opened the Meadow Brook Cat clinic and then brought the team back together in 2021 by combining the 2 facilities into the Riverwood Veterinary Clinic.

When she’s not at the clinic, Dr. Leah manages to find time to ski and snowboard in the winter and rip up the trails on her mountain bike year-round.

She is the mother of 3 fur-babies, her cats Simon (pictured) and 2 siblings Morgan and Skipper. “I love dogs!” she protests. “But with my crazy schedule, cats are easier to care for. I am “Auntie” to all the dogs that come through the hospital doors. The best part is I get to give them back!”, she says with a grin!

Dr. Ashley Milner graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011 and immediately joined the Shaughnessy Veterinary Hospital team. Ashley got her start in veterinary medicine in 1994, at the tender age of eleven, by attending a day camp for kids at the Burnaby SPCA. For the next decade thereafter, she worked every summer as an SPCA camp counselor as well as a humane educator.

During university and vet school, she worked at Mosquito Creek Veterinary Hospital in North Vancouver, Scottsdale Veterinary Hospital in Surrey, the Vancouver Animal Shelter, and the Winnipeg Humane Society. She also participated in free spay/neuter clinics in remote areas of California and North Dakota and continues to volunteer for local rescues. Ashley and her two human children participate in a variety of dog sports including agility, top dog, disc, and dock diving, with their rescues Kaslo and Hopper.

Dr. Milner is proud to offer acupuncture and chiropractic treatments to her canine and feline patients. These can be combined with laser and massage, in what we call “CALM” appointments.

Dr. Amanda is a transplant to British Columbia from the United States. She studied computer science at Dartmouth College and spent a few years as a video game programmer before deciding to change careers to pursue her passion for veterinary medicine.

Amanda graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 and joined the Shaughnessy team in April 2016. During vet school she spent time with a local shelter and feral cat trap-neuter-return clinic. She also dedicated time to the field of aquatic animal medicine, achieving a certificate of study, and spent time at the New Orleans Audubon Aquarium and Zoo. Amanda also enjoys practicing veterinary acupuncture, which she studied at the Chi Institute in Florida.

Amanda lives in Langley with her husband, four children, two senior dogs, a super senior cat, and six guinea pigs.

In her time off she enjoys reading, music, crafting, and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her family.

Dr. Caitlin graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020 and was thrilled to join the Riverwood Veterinary team (formally Shaughnessy Vet Hospital and its sister clinic Meadow Brook Cat clinic). She grew up in North Delta and earned a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology, from the University of the Fraser Valley, before moving to Saskatoon for veterinary school. She is happy to be back in B.C and surrounded by the mountains and ocean once again.

Caitlin is an avid traveller and has been to every continent (except Antarctica). She also enjoys kayaking, contemporary dance, and terrible reality television in her spare time.

Caitlin has always loved animals and science, so being a veterinarian was a lifelong dream. She has developed a passion for being a “crazy cat lady” and loves all cat related things. Caitlin is also the proud mom of two cats, Roman and Rosie.

Jan hails from the wilds of Whonnock where she spends her off-time tending her garden and trying to convince her canine helper that burying a milk bone will NOT grow a milk bone tree, no matter how well-fertilized!

Jan graduated from the University College of the Cariboo’s Animal Health Technology program in 1996. After graduation she worked with Dr. Dennis Jackson at the Granville Island Veterinary Hospital. In 1998 she expanded her horizons to Port Coquitlam, joining the team at the Shaughnessy Veterinary Hospital. A few years ago, Jan discovered a flair for teaching, and is an instructor at the VOAC program at Douglas College. The experience allows Jan to share her enthusiasm for this amazing industry with both her co-workers at the clinic and the great students at Douglas College.

Lauren joined the Shaughnessy Veterinary team in June 2008 after deciding that a career with animals is where she belonged. She started off with being an assistant and then decided that she loved it so much that she wanted to go back to school to become a technician and graduated from the Douglas College Veterinary Technician program in June 2015. Lauren is very interested in the field of animal nutrition, so she is the go-to person for any of your nutritional questions!

Lauren grew up in Port Coquitlam and now lives in Maple Ridge with her husband Brad, their 2 daughters Scarlett and Sawyer; along with their 2 dogs Loxley and Rogue. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys cooking, being outdoors.

Lana started working in the veterinary field after graduating from the Douglas College Veterinary Office and Animals Care Program in 2007. Lana decided that she wanted to further pursue her career in the veterinary field and in 2011, she graduated from the Douglas College Veterinary Technician Program. Lana joined our team in January 2019 and has instantly become part of the family.

Lana is the proud parent of two fur babies, her Bull Terrier named Pingu and of course, Dango the Chihuahua.

I started in the veterinary field as a Kennel Assistant in High School for volunteer experience in Chilliwack. After obtaining the 100 hours of work experience, I decided to stay at the clinic and continue to work as a kennel assistant to gain more experience in the veterinary field. After high school graduation in 2017, I moved to Vancouver for undergrad at Simon Fraser University for Biological Sciences in hopes of becoming a Veterinarian. During my studies, I worked as a Kennel Assistant and a Receptionist at South Burnaby Veterinary Hospital for three years and from my experience working alongside Veterinarians and Technicians, I decided to apply for the Douglas College Veterinary Technician program. Upon graduation in 2021, I did my one-month practicum at Shaughnessy Veterinary Hospital and completely fell in love with the team and the quality of care that they offered to their patients. I am happy to now work with the team at Shaughnessy as a Veterinary Technician.

I went to Peru in high school for a research practicum and learned many things about wildlife and observed different animals that I thought I would never have been able to see, such as fishing for piranhas on the Amazon River; catching caimans and measuring their sizes; recording the number of pink dolphins per hour; and identifying various birds, sloths, frogs and bats. I can speak both English and Mandarin fluently, I enjoy snowboarding during Winter and bouldering as well as hiking during the Summer.

Ewa was born in England and moved to her current hometown of Port Coquitlam in 1996. Her love for animals inspired her to take the Veterinary Office and Animal Care program at Douglas College.

She joined the team at Shaughnessy Veterinary Hospital in March 2014. Soon after being hired she adopted two guinea pigs named Olive and Sweetpea. Growing up, Ewa had a black Lab cross named Rocky and two bunnies named Avocado & Bunny Boy, who sparked her interest to pursue a career working with animals. She currently resides in Maple Ridge with her fiance and her cat named Kirby. She has also given a home to many rescue guinea pigs and a special tripod bunny Bugsy over the years.

In her spare time she loves playing video games, hiking and cooking.

Emry graduated from the West Coast College Veterinary Assistant program in 2009. After graduation she gained valuable experience at leading vet clinics throughout the Fraser Valley before joining our team in June 2013. She has always had a great love for all things furry and is thrilled that she gets to work with animals every day.

Emry grew up in Port Coquitlam and now lives in Pitt Meadows with her husband and their dog, Piglet. In her spare time she can be found hiking with her dog on Burke Mountain or baking delights in her kitchen. She also enjoys reading, crafting and spending time with her family.

Andie was born and raised in Port Coquitlam. She always had a passion for animals and their well-being from a young age. She started volunteering at the clinic back in 2010 and then started out her career working at a doggy daycare and at another veterinary clinic. She loved (and missed) the staff so much, she ended up coming back and joining our team in 2016!

Andie received her Bachelor of Science degree from SFU and is planning to become a veterinary technician. She loves science and medicine. Her passion for your pet’s well-being, helping pets when they are sick or hurt and love for assisting in surgical procedures are a few of the reasons she has a desire to become a veterinary technician.

When Andie is not working, you will find her enjoying the outdoors, hiking, mountain biking, and camping. She enjoys these things with her husband Matt, German Shepherd Ava, and her cat Emmett.

Amanda joined the Riverwood team in November 2020 and has loved it ever since! Working as a part-time veterinary assistant, you can find Amanda in the reception area greeting pets and their people. Amanda is enthusiastic about client care and strives to be helpful and compassionate to pets and their families. Amanda lives in Maple Ridge with her family that includes her husband Allen, a snuggly Golden Retriever, Hunter, a sassy senior Siamese named Angel and an energetic young daughter, Ava. She loves hiking with Hunter, reading good books, eating pasta, and enjoying quality time with family and friends.

Nicole joined the team at Shaughnessy Veterinary Hospital in 2011. She graduated from West Coast College in 2005 from the Veterinary Assistant Program and has been working in Veterinary Hospitals ever since.

Nicole was born and raised on her family’s dairy farm in Pitt Meadows. She has experience with all different animals. You name it, she has rescued it and trained it (Buffalo, Deer, Goats, Cows, Horses, Rabbits, Chickens, Geese, Pigs, Dogs, Donkeys and Cats, and the list goes on). Nicole enjoys sharing her knowledge and teaching others about training and socializing their pets.

When Nicole is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, riding horses, boating, hiking, camping, gardening and working on the family dairy farm.