“I had a dog when I was 8 years old named Boots,” said Coatney, who resides in Centerville. “Even though I had an older brother and sister, I ended up doing all the feeding, walking and cleaning up the yard.”
At the age of 10 while living in Chicago, Coatney, like most kids his age, was faced with picking a theme for his school’s science fair. After the assignments were announced, Coatney went home, and Boots had an appointment that same day at the veterinarian.
“I was in the corner of the exam room and the vet asked me what I was thinking about,” Coatney said. “Ten minutes later, I was talking to him about my science project.”
After reading materials his vet provided, Coatney chose the topic of internal parasites and admits he thought the topic was “really neat.”
Coatney’s project earned him an A+ and after that, he knew he wanted to become a veterinarian himself.
“I never changed my mind from that day,” Coatney said.
Coatney’s father was transferred to Cincinnati after the family spent six years in Chicago. He had already decided to go to veterinarian school at Ohio State University. He joined the Army in 1968 after graduating from vet school, thinking he was headed to Vietnam.
“I had my flight to Vietnam set up in 1969 and one week before I was to leave, the president cut back the doctors going over there,” Coatney said. “I spent my second year in the Army in St. Louis, where I was in charge of laboratory animals.”
After his stint in the Army, Coatney started looking into joining a private vet practice and came to Dayton in 1970 to work at Far Hills Animal Hospital, after interviewing with two other practices in Ohio.
“There were two older vets in the clinic and one passed away shortly after I started,” Coatney said. “I continued in the practice with the other doctor.”
The practice became Far Hills Animal Clinic when it moved to a different building before I-675 went through. Eventually Coatney bought out the one remaining doctor and made the practice his own.
“For 10 years I was solo,” Coatney said. “It wasn’t easy because I had four young kids, and I was also coaching my two oldest in soccer.”
Eventually, his oldest daughter, Emily, went to veterinary school and came into Coatney’s practice, helping relieve the demands on Coatney’s time.
“My son Adam came in with me right before I retired in 2011,” Coatney said. “Emily specialized in exotic pets like rabbits, snakes and birds and Adam became very good at ultrasound.”
The practice soon outgrew the building and Coatney sold it when he retired, and Emily and Adam moved into a larger building in Centerville.
Now fully retired, Coatney is enjoying his time playing golf. His first wife died 3 years ago, and he married Elaine, whom he knew through his daughter Emily, who was friends with her daughter.
“Elaine and I were playing golf together and one day she invited me over to do jigsaw puzzles with her,” Coatney said. “I spotted a children’s book on the island in the kitchen, and I was inspired.”
Coatney told Elaine that with winter coming up, it seemed the perfect time to start writing about. And it had to be about his great passion – dogs and cats.
Coatney’s first book – “It’s OK to Be Small” was published in January of 2024. A picture book for children, it was written in rhyme.
Elaine and Coatney have been married for two years and they continue to play golf together. But Coatney also loved writing his first book and going to local schools to read the book to Kindergarten students.
“I wrote my second book and included the same characters – Sparky is a little dog who lives next to a Bernese Mountain Dog, and they have another friend, Murphy,” Coatney said. “I also introduce a new puppy named Marshmallow.”
Coatney will be reading that book – “Friendships Are Forever” at the Woodbourne Library in Centerville . He is now thinking about another story for a third book. He will also be doing a book signing in February at Far Hills Animal Clinic in Centerville.
“I told Elaine that I didn’t know if I had any more ideas,” Coatney said. “But I remembered a lot of kids coming into the vet office saying they wanted to be a veterinarian, just like I did. I’m thinking of using the same characters and having one apply to vet school.”
HOW TO GO
What: “Friendships Are Forever” book reading by Douglas Coatney
Where: Woodbourne Library Centerville
When: 10:30 am February 15
Other: Coatney will have a book signing at 1 p.m. Feb. 8 at Far Hills Animal Clinic in Centerville
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