Paige was born and raised in the Tampa
Brandon is no rookie when it comes to vet med. He started his career
Savannah is originally from West Palm Beach Florida, and moved to Lake City with her family
Caring Hands Animal Hospital opened its doors in the fall of 2007. While working at and managing various animal hospitals in northern Florida, Dr. Leslie saw that pet owners are most concerned about how much veterinarians and staff care about them and their pets. She observed that often veterinary care givers became hurried and even callous towards the needs of the clients and their pets. The name Caring Hands was chosen to help remind us all about why we are really in this profession.
The facility in Lake City is a bit of a local historical landmark in that it was originally a Pizza Hut constructed in the 1970’s. Most long-time residents of Lake City, including Dr. Leslie, remember eating pizza in this building. When the new Pizza Hut was built closer to the interstate, the building served as a Mexican restaurant for a time before sitting vacant for a couple of years. Dr. Leslie purchased the building from the original owner, Mr. Ansbacher, who at one time had 33 Pizza Huts in northern Florida. After extensive remodeling and a 21-foot addition, Caring Hands Animal Hospital emerged from the construction dust. Caring Hands Animal Hospital became accredited by The American Animal Hospital Association in 2008, just 6 months after opening and the first accredited hospital within a 40-mile radius. The AAHA standards we follow and the equipment within allow us to offer high quality care to our clients, but it’s really our attitude that sets us apart from the other hospitals in the area.
In 2018, Dr. Leslie and partners decided to purchase a second location in Live Oak, FL which was formerly Live Oak Animal Clinic. The name was changed to Caring Hands of Live Oak and the facility gained AAHA accreditation in 2019. Clients will often see Dr. Leslie and familiar staff members at both locations since doctors and staff are shared between clinics. During her free time, Dr. Leslie enjoys spending time with her husband, William, her 2 adult children and Boeing the tuxedo cat. Dr. Leslie frequently sings at Epiphany Church in Lake City and is an avid dressage competitor with her Dutch Warmblood mare, Nawal.
Caring Hands Animal Hospital opened its doors in the fall of 2007. While working at and managing various animal hospitals in northern Florida, Dr. Leslie saw that pet owners are most concerned about how much veterinarians and staff care about them and their pets. She observed that often veterinary care givers became hurried and even callous towards the needs of the clients and their pets. The name Caring Hands was chosen to help remind us all about why we are really in this profession.
The facility in Lake City is a bit of a local historical landmark in that it was originally a Pizza Hut constructed in the 1970’s. Most long-time residents of Lake City, including Dr. Leslie, remember eating pizza in this building. When the new Pizza Hut was built closer to the interstate, the building served as a Mexican restaurant for a time before sitting vacant for a couple of years. Dr. Leslie purchased the building from the original owner, Mr. Ansbacher, who at one time had 33 Pizza Huts in northern Florida. After extensive remodeling and a 21-foot addition, Caring Hands Animal Hospital emerged from the construction dust. Caring Hands Animal Hospital became accredited by The American Animal Hospital Association in 2008, just 6 months after opening and the first accredited hospital within a 40-mile radius. The AAHA standards we follow and the equipment within allow us to offer high quality care to our clients, but it’s really our attitude that sets us apart from the other hospitals in the area.
In 2018, Dr. Leslie and partners decided to purchase a second location in Live Oak, FL which was formerly Live Oak Animal Clinic. The name was changed to Caring Hands of Live Oak and the facility gained AAHA accreditation in 2019. Clients will often see Dr. Leslie and familiar staff members at both locations since doctors and staff are shared between clinics. During her free time, Dr. Leslie enjoys spending time with her husband, William, her 2 adult children and Boeing the tuxedo cat. Dr. Leslie frequently sings at Epiphany Church in Lake City and is an avid dressage competitor with her Dutch Warmblood mare, Nawal.
Dr. Annie Choi is originally from Queens, New York. She completed her Bachelor's degree at the University of Delaware in 2017. She completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Ross university where she rescued her beloved cat Garfield and graduated in 2022. She completed her clinical year at Lincoln Memorial University where she found Caring Hands during an externship. Dr. Annie fell in love with the technicians and is extremely excited to work alongside a great mentor, Dr. Leslie. Dr. Annie has a passion within vet med for soft tissue surgery and general practice. In her free time she loves going to the beach, and going on special adventures with Garfield.
Caring Hands Animal Hospital opened its doors in the fall of 2007. While working at and managing various animal hospitals in northern Florida, Dr. Leslie saw that pet owners are most concerned about how much veterinarians and staff care about them and their pets. She observed that often veterinary care givers became hurried and even callous towards the needs of the clients and their pets. The name Caring Hands was chosen to help remind us all about why we are really in this profession.
The facility in Lake City is a bit of a local historical landmark in that it was originally a Pizza Hut constructed in the 1970’s. Most long-time residents of Lake City, including Dr. Leslie, remember eating pizza in this building. When the new Pizza Hut was built closer to the interstate, the building served as a Mexican restaurant for a time before sitting vacant for a couple of years. Dr. Leslie purchased the building from the original owner, Mr. Ansbacher, who at one time had 33 Pizza Huts in northern Florida. After extensive remodeling and a 21-foot addition, Caring Hands Animal Hospital emerged from the construction dust. Caring Hands Animal Hospital became accredited by The American Animal Hospital Association in 2008, just 6 months after opening and the first accredited hospital within a 40-mile radius. The AAHA standards we follow and the equipment within allow us to offer high quality care to our clients, but it’s really our attitude that sets us apart from the other hospitals in the area.
In 2018, Dr. Leslie and partners decided to purchase a second location in Live Oak, FL which was formerly Live Oak Animal Clinic. The name was changed to Caring Hands of Live Oak and the facility gained AAHA accreditation in 2019. Clients will often see Dr. Leslie and familiar staff members at both locations since doctors and staff are shared between clinics. During her free time, Dr. Leslie enjoys spending time with her husband, William, her 2 adult children and Boeing the tuxedo cat. Dr. Leslie frequently sings at Epiphany Church in Lake City and is an avid dressage competitor with her Dutch Warmblood mare, Nawal.
Caring Hands Animal Hospital opened its doors in the fall of 2007. While working at and managing various animal hospitals in northern Florida, Dr. Leslie saw that pet owners are most concerned about how much veterinarians and staff care about them and their pets. She observed that often veterinary care givers became hurried and even callous towards the needs of the clients and their pets. The name Caring Hands was chosen to help remind us all about why we are really in this profession.
The facility in Lake City is a bit of a local historical landmark in that it was originally a Pizza Hut constructed in the 1970’s. Most long-time residents of Lake City, including Dr. Leslie, remember eating pizza in this building. When the new Pizza Hut was built closer to the interstate, the building served as a Mexican restaurant for a time before sitting vacant for a couple of years. Dr. Leslie purchased the building from the original owner, Mr. Ansbacher, who at one time had 33 Pizza Huts in northern Florida. After extensive remodeling and a 21-foot addition, Caring Hands Animal Hospital emerged from the construction dust. Caring Hands Animal Hospital became accredited by The American Animal Hospital Association in 2008, just 6 months after opening and the first accredited hospital within a 40-mile radius. The AAHA standards we follow and the equipment within allow us to offer high quality care to our clients, but it’s really our attitude that sets us apart from the other hospitals in the area.
In 2018, Dr. Leslie and partners decided to purchase a second location in Live Oak, FL which was formerly Live Oak Animal Clinic. The name was changed to Caring Hands of Live Oak and the facility gained AAHA accreditation in 2019. Clients will often see Dr. Leslie and familiar staff members at both locations since doctors and staff are shared between clinics. During her free time, Dr. Leslie enjoys spending time with her husband, William, her 2 adult children and Boeing the tuxedo cat. Dr. Leslie frequently sings at Epiphany Church in Lake City and is an avid dressage competitor with her Dutch Warmblood mare, Nawal.
Dr. Andrews is a graduate of Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine in Harrogate, TN. She is originally from Jensen Beach, FL, and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Florida.
Her professional interests include ultrasound, internal medicine, and emergency medicine. Dr. Andrews enjoys the variety of general practice and is passionate about providing thorough, compassionate care to her patients and clients.
Outside of the clinic, Dr. Andrews enjoys spending time with her husband and their two dogs—a Boykin Spaniel and a Labrador Retriever—and their two cats. She also enjoys traveling and staying active, and is excited to be a part of the Caring Hands Animal Hospital team.
Paige was born and raised in the Tampa area, she’s a true Florida native. Growing up she had dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, etc. and hardly ever being told no to adding another one, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone that she wanted to be a vet when she grew up. She got her first part time job at a vets office in high school and QUICKLY learned that she no longer wanted to be a vet, but couldn’t imagine not working with animals. After a few years and changing her college major many times, she graduated college as a Certified Veterinary Technician in the Spring of 2020. Her veterinary interests include practice management, emergency medicine, and intensive/critical care patients.
Outside of work she is married to her highschool sweetheart. They have 2 kids together and their hobbies include wrangling the children on a daily basis, boating, and tending to the farm they are creating!
Ashley Grubbs is from Tampa, Fl. She started working in veterinary medicine because she loves being able to provide the needed care for animals especially in emergency situations. Her favorite part of working in this field is surgery! In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends. Her family consists of one daughter, two sons, two dogs and a bearded dragon!
Born and raised in Lake City, Stormi has always had a deep love for animals and a passion for veterinary medicine. Her journey began in 2014 at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, where she first stepped into the world of veterinary care. Since then, she has worked in emergency and urgent care, large animal, exotics, and specialty hospitals, gaining a wealth of experience across multiple fields. Now, as the office manager at Caring Hands Animal Hospital, she ensures top-notch care for pets and a supportive environment for both clients and staff.
Stormi’s passion for learning never stops—she is currently enrolled to become a Certified Veterinary Technician and loves training and growing alongside her team. Before returning to her roots in veterinary medicine, Stormi had a completely different career—she is a dual-certified corrections and law enforcement officer in the state of Florida. She previously served as a Correctional Officer for the state of Florida and later as a Law Enforcement Officer Sergeant, bringing leadership and discipline to her work.
Now, she applies that same dedication to caring for animals. At home, she’s surrounded by her own furry crew—three cats (Baby Steve, Thomas O’Malley, and Phoenix) and one dog (Koda). When she’s not at the hospital, you can find her spending time on the boat, competing in shooting sports, or attempting arts and crafts (even though she insists she’s not very crafty!). Whether on the water, at the range, or in the clinic, Stormi brings passion, energy, and a unique background to everything she does!
Brooke was born and raised in White Springs, Fl. She began working in veterinary medicine in 2013 because she has always had compassion for animals and educating owners. She loves handling the animals and seeing their different personalities. Outside of work, she is a barrel racer, she says “I really enjoy the adrenaline it gives me and I love watching my horses become better each time!”
Mike is originally from Miami Beach Florida. His father is a retired veterinarian, so he has grown in the veterinary industry and experienced many things over the years. He looks up to his father and has learned so much from him in all aspects of life, and sees him to be a huge role model in his career. Mike got his first official paying job in vet med about 15 years ago. Since building a career in the field he has developed a love for Dentistry, Surgery, and Emergency & Critical care patients. In his free time Mike loves to explore, spend time outside, and cooking. He likes diving in the local springs, hiking nature trails, and anything that may involve water!
Jaden was born and raised in Lake City, Florida. Growing up she always wanted to work with animals. At the age of 13 she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, so her career path changed to becoming an RN. She went to college, completed her pre-requisites for nursing school and graduated with her AA. Around this time Covid had started and was actively becoming a major problem in the world. Because of this, she fell back on working with animals, and will never go back! Her first job at an animal hospital was at Plantation Animal Hospital in Fleming Island. She was there for a little over a year as a kennel technician and LOVED it. She loved the quality time that she got to spend with the dogs and how they would recognize you when they came in. She is now a kennel technician at CHAH and loves it just as much as she did her previous job. The dogs and her coworkers are the reasons that she loves coming to work everyday! Outside of work, she enjoys going to the beach, riding four wheelers, and spending time with her family and friends. She is hoping to continue to learn and grow within veterinary medicine and be sure that the clients’ pets get the medical attention that they need and desire!
Brandon is no rookie when it comes to vet med. He started his career in vet med in 2006 while in his senior year of highschool. He has worked every position within most animal hospitals and like many others has settled into being a technician after working his way up from being a kennel assistant. His favorite part of vet med is preventative care medicine and client education. Outside of work he enjoys saltwater fishing, trying new restaurants, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Melanie, who is better known as Mel, is from Orlando, Florida. She started her career in the veterinary industry in 2020. She chooses to work in Veterinary medicine because she has always loved animals. At work, she loves to be with the animals and helping to educate the pet owners about the care that comes with owning a pet. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and her own personal fur-babies. She has 2 calico cats, Jinx & Cali!
Savannah is originally from West Palm Beach Florida, and moved to Lake City with her family in 2019. She has used the Santa Fe High School Veterinary assisting magnet program as a way to get her foot in the door to hopefully pursue a career in Veterinary medicine one day. Within her volunteering she loves learning something new each time she comes in and strives to create a connection with each patient that she encounters and their “pawrents.” Outside of her work as a volunteer she spends time raising rabbits, various FFA contests, camping/hiking, and riding horses. She aspires to be a veterinarian one day and even own her own practice! Savannah says “I am super grateful that Caring Hands Animal Hospital has taken me under their wing and has taken the time to teach me and allow me to observe.”
