Becca’s Bubbles Brings Pet Grooming Right To Your Doorstep

By Celeste McLaughlin

BeccasBubblesWhen your dog needs to be bathed, clipped or shaved, Becca’s Bubbles Mobile Grooming Salon will bring its collection of grooming tools, shampoos, brushes, combs, colognes, bandanas and bows right to you.

Perfect for older pets, pets who get nervous taking a trip in the car, or for any pet parents who don’t have time to go somewhere to have their pet shampooed or clipped, Becca’s Bubbles drives its grooming truck right to your front door.

Owner and groomer Becca Miltz is an animal lover who has lived in Seven Oaks since 2006. She was working as a nanny when she began to look for a purpose for her life’s work.

“I wanted to find something I felt passionate about, where I could be hands on,” she says. “So many people go to work every day and don’t love what they do. I want to love my work.”

She was researching opportunities in both daycare and working with animals, and she learned about the Tampa Bay Pet Grooming Academy in South Tampa. It felt like the perfect fit, so she enrolled.

She completed an intense, nine-week course at the grooming academy. “I had equipment in my hands from the beginning,” she says. “There were always dogs there, so I learned quickly.”

She graduated in May of 2015 and launched her business in June.

“This is where my heart is,” she says. “I get to spend all day with dogs.”

Becca’s brightly colored mobile grooming truck shows up at your doorstep at your scheduled appointment time. Inside, the truck houses a grooming table and all the equipment she needs to make your dog look his or her very best. She doesn’t need a hose or anything from you, because her truck is fully equipped with power, water, a heater, vacuum and even a bathroom and microwave. She has two dryers, including a soft dryer for older pets who need special care.

In fact, the entire grooming experience is a good fit for those types of pets.

“I can accommodate dogs who are older, who need more assistance and more help feeling comfortable,” says Becca.

Diane Johnson is a Meadow Pointe resident who says Becca does just that for her golden retriever.

“My dog, Seabee, is 10 1/2,” explains Diane. “As she gets older, it’s been harder for me to get her to the place I had been having her groomed. And at her age, she requires special care. Becca has always provided that for us.”

Diane happened to see a Facebook ad for Becca’s Bubbles, so she decided to give it a try.

“I love the fact that Becca’s Bubbles just pulls right into my driveway,” she says. “Becca’s service is phenomenal.”

Diane says her two other dogs, a chocolate Lab and a Chesapeake Bay retriever, don’t require much grooming because they have short hair, but that doesn’t stop them from climbing in the Becca’s Bubbles truck.

“They march right up into the truck and look at everything,” Diane says.

“We are extremely satisfied with Becca’s Bubbles,” she adds. “For the quality, and the peace of mind, it’s worth every penny.”

Becca says, “I’m very pro-animal. I’ll do anything I can to help your pet have a great grooming experience.”

BeccaBubble2Services

Customers can choose between three packages. First, the bath package includes trimming nails, cleaning pads, cleaning and trimming ears, shampoo, conditioner, cologne, bandana, and a de-shed treatment. The next option is a full groom, which includes the bath package, plus clipping the entire dog. Becca also offers a face, feet, and tail clip, so the dog is bathed and trimmed neatly in the areas where it most needs it.

Additional services, such as a flea bath and even teeth brushing, are also available.

She says most clients schedule their grooming on a regular basis, usually every four weeks, but there is no commitment required.

“I generally go to people’s homes, although I could also visit their office or another spot,” says Becca. “All I need is a parking spot or a driveway.”

For pricing information, visit the company’s website at BeccasBubbles.org. Becca is offering all first time clients $5 off, and a multiple pet discount of $5 off each additional pet. She’s offering a Black Friday special, too. If you call by Nov. 27 to book your appointment, your pet will get a free blueberry facial and a toothbrush included in its grooming package.

Becca explains that the blueberry facial is a deep conditioning treatment and massage that actually can brighten the color of your dog’s coat.

Why Try Becca’s Bubbles?

Becca says the biggest benefit to your pet is the personal service she provides. Your pet is never in a crate, and never with other animals, which could inadvertently expose him or her to disease and parasites. Becca’s clean, sanitary, professional environment doesn’t require a car trip for your dog, which is just the start of the stress-free experience she provides.

And it’s not just your pet’s well being that she cares about. Becca looks forward to using her skills and tools to care for animals who aren’t lucky enough to have a pet parent yet.

“I could maybe even save a life,” says Becca. “Dogs look so scruffy at the pound, but they’re so fluffy in the pet store. If I can donate my time, maybe I can do good for an animal who needs it.”

She explains she is currently talking with shelters where she just might be able to save lives. She hopes to clean up the dogs and give them cute bandanas or bows so they are more attractive to potential owners.

Becca’s Bubbles serves Wesley Chapel, New Tampa and surrounding areas. Appointments are available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., with evening appointments available for an additional charge. To schedule your appointment with Becca’s Bubbles, call 997-2796 or email Becca@beccasbubbles.org. You also can get more information online at BeccasBubbles.org or find her on Facebook by searching “Becca’s Bubbles Mobile Grooming Salon.”

Junior Woman’s Club Members Accompany Vets On ‘Honor Flight’

honor3Tampa Palms resident Melanie Otte remembers her grandfather’s stories about World War II. He would regale the family about his wartime exploits, as they leafed through his photo albums, and proudly show off a picture of the Enola Gay — the first aircraft ever to drop an atomic bomb — that he had to jump a fence to take the photo with a small spy camera.

It never really hit her, though, what his service meant to him until she recently chose to take part in an Honor Flight.

Otte and Wesley Chapel resident Jennifer Lee, both members of the Greater Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC)’s New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club, served as volunteer guardians to a pair of U.S. Military veterans on Sept. 22, an experience that left both amazed, appreciative and very much in awe.

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Jennifer Lee (left) and Melanie Otte

“I had been to Washington, DC, as a kid, but this was a much more moving experience,’’ Otte says. “I mean, standing there with a person who lived it, that was just something totally different.”

Honor Flights are one-day trips organized by non-profit organizations dedicated to providing a way for veterans to visit the monuments created in the name of their service scattered throughout the nation’s capital.

Last year, the New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club donated $400 so one veteran could make the trip. That inspired Otte and Lee to get involved as Honor Flight volunteers this year.

Otte served as a volunteer guardian to 80-year-old Korean War U.S. Air Force Military Police veteran Frank Kynion, who lives in St. Petersburg, while Lee escorted Laura Tilton, a 92-year-old Venice resident and World War II veteran.

The day of the Honor Flight began with alarm clocks going off at 3 a.m. for the volunteers, a donated breakfast from McDonald’s at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport, and a 4 a.m. flight to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport with about 80 other veterans and their guardians.

When they got off the plane, the spunky Tilton asked Lee if the wheelchair had a speed limit, and Lee asked if she was pushing too fast.

“No, pick it up, we got things to see,’’ Tilton told her with glee.

honor4A contingent of military personnel was there to greet the veterans at the airport, setting off a whirlwind day of emotional sightseeing.

“When we were at the Korean War Memorial, it was very somber,” says Otte. “Frank was visibly taken aback. You could tell he was welling up.”

Otte said the listing of the Korean’s War’s U.S. fatalities (almost 40,000, with more than 100,000 injured) and the 19 haunting seven-foot-tall stainless steel statues standing in a patch of juniper bushes at the memorial was overwhelming.

Lee pushed Tilton around, although the former Naval Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)/pharmacy maid, was able to stand and walk for short periods of time.

“She was a lot of fun,’’ Lee says. “I think a lot of them just appreciated the one-on-one attention. She told me, ‘I had so much fun. I like to giggle, you like to giggle. She told me I was now her third daughter.”

honor1As the vets returned to Florida, they read dozens of letters written to them by school children and adults, thanking them for their service and dedication. When the plane landed back in Clearwater, a throng of roughly 800 people, including a band, were there to greet them.

Kynion, who married a Japanese woman after the war, says he faced discrimination as a result, and also lived through the anti-military era of the Vietnam War, so he was humbled by the support. In fact, many of the veterans, on multiple occasions, asked why everyone was doing this for them.

Otte told him the answer was simple: “Because you are our heros.”

The GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club meets the second Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the New Tampa YMCA (16221 Compton Dr. in Tampa Palms). For more info, visit GFWCNewTampaJuniors.org.

Two-car collision on S.R. 54 leaves two dead

fhpWESLEY CHAPEL — Two women are dead after an accident on S.R. 54 and Ernest Drive near the New River Library backed up traffic for hours Sunday night.

Lutz resident Barbara Janet Charlebois, 38, was traveling west on S.R. 54  when, for unknown reasons, she drove off the roadway and onto the right shoulder of the road. She overcorrected her vehicle, a 2004 Toyota Camry, to the left which caused her to swerve into the eastbound lane and into the direct path of a 2014 Buick Verano driven by 76-year-old Bridget Mary Kent of Ontario, Canada.

The collision between the two cars occurred around 8:50 p.m.. Charlebois suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. Kent had serious injuries and was taken to Lakeland Regional Hospital.

There were two passengers in Kent’s vehicle. and both were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. Lillian Cruickshank, 70, suffered serious injuries. William Edward Kent, 78 of Ontario, Canada, passed away overnight.

 

 

Have bike, will travel…across the country

DrNickRotary Club of Temple Terrace member, USF professor and Saddlebrook Resort Tampa director of wellness Dr. Nick Hall, Ph.D., M.D., recently completed a cross country trip from Oceanside,CA, to St. Augustine, FL, on his bicycle to raise funds and awareness for End Polio Now, a campaign focused on ending polio in the only two countries where it remains – Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since its first project in 1976, Rotary International has helped reduce polio cases by 99 percent around the world. Here are the 10 most interesting things you should know about Dr. Hall’s bike trek:

1— This wasn’t Hall’s first rodeo….err, bike ride across America. When Hall was a teen, he had a summer job in Black Hills, SD, and would take a bus home to Chicopee, MA. One summer, however, he decided to bike the 2,000+ miles home. This year, Hall decided to combine the 50th anniversary of that ride with Rotary’s fight against polio.

2 — Traveling roughly 100 miles a day, it took Hall a little over a month to complete the trip, starting July 14 and ending Aug. 15. He says he could have made it home even quicker, but he had one serious accident and a number of visits to friends along the way, including a day in Gainesville for a Rotary Club lunch.

3 — About that accident: it happened in west Texas when he ran over a 6-inch bolt that was laying in the road, jamming the front wheel of his bike. “The bike came to an abrupt stop, and I kept going,’’ Hall said. Bloodied but unbowed, he caught a ride with a truck driver — who ironically lives in Tampa — to San Antonio. Hall found the part he needed to fix his bike on eBay, and two days later was back on his way.

“My back-up plan was to leave the bike there with a Rotarian and resume the trip around Thanksgiving,’’ said Hall, who was racing to get back to USF for the start of fall classes, where he teaches anatomy & physiology and human nutrition.

DrNickBike14 — The bike, by the way, was a late 1960s vintage British-made copper-colored Raleigh Carlton. He says it was very similar to the bike he rode 50 years ago.

5 — On his original ride, Hall said he occasionally slept in jail cells and rescue missions along the route.

“I was sleeping in a park in Mobile, NE, and was roused in the middle of the night by a police office who told me it was against the law to sleep in the public park,‘’ Hall said. “He gave me a choice: get booked for vagrancy or he would book me in jail as a lodger.” So Hall spent a few nights 50 years ago on a steel cot.


6 — Hall didn’t get to spend a night in the slammer this time, instead pitching a tent wherever he could. The best places to sleep, he said, were behind churches, especially those in the bible belt. “Massive churches, unlike anything you have seen, nicely manicured lawns, secluded areas.” Hall said he also spent at least one night a week in a motel room, to re-energize.

7 — The worst place to sleep? Anywhere too dark to notice his surroundings, especially, well, railroad tracks. “One night, I slept in this beautiful green meadow, and it turns out the train track was right on the other side of the bushes,” Hall said.

8 — As for food, Hall, an expert on nutrition, says he would try to eat a good high-protein breakfast, preferably eggs and, once back on the road, he would munch on Fig Newtons and Hostess Apple Pies, the same ones he ate 50 years ago.

“I won’t normally even look at them, but they were a treat to look forward to on the ride.” Ice cream would keep him cool, and he would munch on potato chips to replace the sodium he was sweating out. Salads and fruits were regular treats.

9 — Did we mention that Hall was lugging along a 66-pound duffle bag (he weighed it at the airport when he flew to California before the trip) and two 10-liter water bladders, each weighing 15 pounds? So those artificial fruit pies were burned right off, and Hall said he weighed exactly the same – 150 pounds – at the end of the trip as he did at the beginning.

10 — Hall says the scariest things about the trip were the heat in the southwest, drivers distracted by their cell phones and, especially, roads with little or no shoulder room for bikes. Louisiana had many of these roads, including enough long bridges with no shoulders to Hall nervous. “There were lots of logging trucks, and there was nowhere for them to go, and nowhere for me to go,’’ he said. “I would just get as far over to my right as I could and hold my breath.”

Is Hall done riding bikes across America? Nope. “It was sad being over in many respects,’’ he said. “I got to where I was looking forward to meeting people.” Hall is back in the classroom and sharing his story at Rotary Club meetings, including a recent visit to Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, and still spreading the word about the fight against polio.

 

Premier Heart & Vascular Center — Choose A Cardiologist With Heart To Care For Yours

KetulChauhan SunilGupta VikasSoma By Anu Varma Panchal

Fifteen years ago, a cardiologist who wanted to approach patients with compassion, dignity and integrity decided that the only way to do things right was to set up his own practice. So, cardiologist Sunil Gupta, M.D., FACC, of Premier Heart & Vascular Center, did just that.

Today, that practice has grown from one physician and one supporting staff member in an office in Zephyrhills to four offices — as Lakeland, Dade City and Wesley Chapel (in the Summergate Professional Park behind Sam’s Club, off S.R. 56) already have been added, with a fifth office set to open in Carrollwood later this month. Dr. Gupta has been joined by three other cardiologists, and the four physicians are supported by a team of 30 physician assistants, nurses and other support staff members.

“What makes our offices different is that we make the patients the focus,” says Michele Gordon, a physician assistant who has worked for Premier Heart & Vascular Center for seven years. “On a daily basis, everything we do is what we can to take care of the patients and do the best for them. Dr. Gupta has always done the right thing and patients notice (that). Our office is the fastest-growing cardiology practice around.”

Dr. Gupta is Board-certified in cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology, and is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Cardiac Angiography and Intervention. In addition to serving as a cardiology Fellow at the Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, NJ, and an interventional cardiology Fellow at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY, Dr. Gupta also has worked at a group cardiology practice in Saginaw, MI. His special interests are in the areas of coronary and peripheral angioplasty and stenting, as well as pacemakers and defibrillators. In addition, Dr. Gupta was included in a listing of “Super Doctors for Florida,” a designation awarded by MSP Communications that takes into consideration a physician’s education, achievements, involvement and leadership.

Although Dr. Gupta says he went into the field of medicine because of the influence of several family members in the same line of work, it was his own passion for cardiac medicine that led him to his specialty.
“In cardiology, we genuinely get to help patients,” Dr. Gupta says. “People can die if we don’t do what we do. We see the results right away, (which is) a gratifying feeling. On a daily basis, we deal with life and death. We actually make a positive impact on (our patients’ lives) and on society.”

Dr. Gupta is joined in his practice by cardiologists Dr. Ketul Chauhan, Dr. Chetan Khamare and Dr. Vikas Soma. Dr. Chauhan is Board-certified in cardiovascular diseases and nuclear medicine, and is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Cardiac Angiography & Intervention. He completed his cardiology fellowships at the University of South Florida in Tampa. His specialties include coronary and peripheral angioplasty and stenting, pacemakers and defibrillators and valvuplasty.

Dr. Khamare is Board-certified in cardiovascular diseases, interventional medicine and nuclear medicine and did his fellowships at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Dr. Khamare is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Cardiac Angiography and Intervention, and is especially interested in coronary and peripheral angioplasty and stenting, congestive heart failure and peripheral vascular disease.

Dr. Soma is interested in radial artery interventions, coronary and peripheral vascular interventions and pacemakers. He has numerous Board certifications, including cardiology diseases, interventional cardiology, endovascular medicine, echocardiography, nuclear medicine and registered physician vascular interpretation (RPVI). He is a member of the American College of Cardiology and American Society of Echocardiography and completed his cardiology fellowships at the New York Medical College at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Valhalla, NY, and at St. Luke’s Hospital at Columbia University in New York City.

Character & Cardiology
When he searched for the perfect physicians and other staff members to join his practice, Dr. Gupta says that the philosophy of prospective colleagues was the first criterion.

“All of our physicians are well-trained and well-certified,” he says. “They care for patients with a high degree of integrity, but even before the quality of their work, we look for character.”

The physicians not only give frequent lectures and talks at area hospitals, they keep up to date with the latest news in the field, says Dr. Gupta.

“People are living longer, [and] more people are having heart disease,” he says. “There’s more awareness of signs and symptoms [and more people] seeking treatment. New technologies and new medications continue to come out. We’re interested in those new technologies, procedures, medicines and devices.”

The doctors at Premier Heart & Vascular also are involved in a Harvard Medical School study on a new heart medication, the Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial.

“We stay up to date and are familiar with the latest and newest,” Dr. Gupta says. “Some of the treatments offered here include therapy for congenital heart failure, heart catheterization through the forearm and the presence of an ECP (External Counter Pulsation) Machine, that can treat angina episodes in a non-invasive manner.

“Patients who come to us will feel well-respected and well-attended-to,” says Dr. Gupta. “They go home with a very positive experience.”

Katherine Strode says she has been a patient of Dr. Gupta’s for about 10 years (and also has seen Dr. Khamare more recently), and in the years since she has started seeing Dr. Gupta, the 72-year-old Zephyrhills resident has managed to get off her diuretic and blood pressure medications completely, thanks to a combination of treatment, diet and lifestyle changes that the doctors have helped her with from the beginning.

“They really take an interest,” Strode says. “It’s not a take-a-number thing. They make you feel like you’re somebody. Their staff is wonderful. I think they’re top notch (doctors) and it’s a tribute to (the) practice. (Dr. Gupta) runs a very well organized office there. If there’s ever been a problem, we get a call back in an appropriate length of time, and with it being your heart, that’s important!”

Dr. Gupta adds that Premier Heart & Vascular Center patients are pleased about the practice’s short wait times, quick appointments, prompt evaluations and same-day testing results.
“Our biggest strength is the positive, family-oriented culture in the office,” he says. “Patients who walk in can feel it.”

Strode and her husband William concur with that statement.

“It doesn’t feel like we’re going to the doctor,” William. “It feels like we’re visiting friends.”

In fact, the only real “problem” the Strodes say they have now is that they have recommended Premier Heart & Vascular to so many friends that Katherine says they have to beat their friends to an appointment these days.

“You really feel like you’re a part of the family,” says Mignone. “Everyone feels important. Everyone feels that their position is important and makes a difference in terms of patient care.”

There are four Premier Heart & Vascular Centers in Zephyrhills, Lakeland, Dade City and at 27424 Cashford Cir. in Wesley Chapel. The Carrollwood location is expected to open later this month at 3333 W. Bearss Ave. The group also owns the Vein Center of Wesley Chapel (26827 Foggy Creek Rd., Suite 103). For more information or to make an appointment, call 788-1400.