310-542-2727

Welcome to Beach Animal Rehabilitation Center (BARC)

Giving Your Pet A New Leash On Life

Beach Animal Rehabilitation Center (BARC) is a one of a kind veterinary clinic, serving Los Angeles and Orange Counties, specializing in rehabilitation for dogs and cats. BARC is specifically aimed at helping pets live longer, healthier lives by treating them using a holistic approach combining both Eastern and Western medicine.  We are proud to provide treatment by both Doctors of Veterinary Medicine and Doctors of Physical Therapy, which in combination give your pet the best possible outcomes. Our caring, compassionate and experienced staff allow you and your pet to have an improved quality of life.

Pet rehabilitation is beneficial in treating many conditions and providing pain relief, aiding in recovery and improving overall functional mobility. Conditions that can be helped include: Arthritis, pre and post-surgical treatment, accidents or trauma, gait abnormalities, hip or elbow dysplasia, knee injuries, disc disease, un-diagnosed lameness and pain, age related issues, weight loss/gain.

yellow labrador retriever sitting on a blue mat in pet rehabilitation

OUR TEAM

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PHYSICAL THERAPISTS

These are doctoral educated, California licensed and rehabilitation certified professionals that have taken their knowledge and experience treating humans and applied the same healing techniques to animals with amazing outcomes.

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VETERINARIANS

These are all California licensed doctors of veterinary medicine. They each are certified in veterinary acupuncture and rehabilitation as well as having other specialized certifications in areas such as thermography, nutrition and herbal medicine.

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SUPPORT STAFF

Every staff member from the front office to the rehabilitation assistants has had previous experience working with animals. Each one of them has been handpicked by the owners of BARC for their compassionate love for animals and the field of rehabilitation.

MEET OUR TEAM

Dr. Stephanie Checel received her Bachelor of Science in Dairy Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1997, and her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the School of Veterinary Medicine at University College

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Dr. Engie Hanna was born in Denver, Colorado but raised locally in Torrance, California. She earned her B.S in Marine Biology at UCLA and her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences. Shortly

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Engie Hanna
DVM, CVA, CCRT

Dr. Nicole Schiff received her Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from UC Davis in 1997, and her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from UC Davis in 2002. She has worked at several veterinary hospitals in Los Angeles and here

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Dr. Vanessa Flores happily returned to Southern California after a few years in Canada.  Dr. Flores graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2006.  She pursued further education in

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Vanessa Flores
VDM, CVA, CCRV, CVTP, CVCH, CVFT

Dr. Amy Kramer received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education and Recreation from Whittier College in 1990. Following graduation, Dr. Kramer continued her education Cerritos College where she graduated with honors

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Amy Kramer
PT, DPT, CCRT – Therapy Director

Dr Erin Bukofsky sitting on the ground with a dog

Dr Erin Bukofsky received her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Skidmore College in 2007. She gained a variety of experience working with animals after her undergraduate program, including

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Erin Bukofsky
PT, DPT, CCRT

Dr. Kylie Nakamine received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Gonzaga University in 2015 and continued her education at Azusa Pacific University where she received a Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) in 2018.

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Kylie Nakamine
PT, DPT, CCRT

David has been working with animals in the rehabilitation setting for almost 10 years. He worked with animals in general practice before venturing into the rehab world. He is a master at working with animals in the underwater

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David
Rehab Assistant

Andrea has always been a dog lover growing up with a cocker spaniel and a Saint Bernard. She has been working with dogs for over 4 years and is excited to be working now to improve their lives through rehabilitation. She

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Andrea
Rehab Assistant

Kimberly Minami

Kim’s career with animals began as a teen volunteering at various animals shelters throughout LA. From pet hotel caregiver to pet bather to pet trainer, she is excited to share her skills as a member of the BARC team.

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Kimberly
Rehab Assistant

Stephany entered the field of rehabilitation with a background in biology and years of experience in general practice. She takes particular interest in the physical therapy aspect of rehabilitation, and sincerely appreciates

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Stephany
Rehab Assistant

Growing up Deaundre was an exotic animal enthusiast and decided to go into veterinary medicine. He worked in general practice before venturing into rehabilitation. Outside of work, Deaundre enjoys studying horticulture,

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Deaundre
Rehab Assistant

Since she was young, animals has always been a part of Domonique’s life and she naturally gravitated to them and their well being. So when it was time to decide to start her career, she knew exactly what direction she would

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Domonique
Rehab Assistant

Jessica has been working at BARC since November. She has experiences working with animals in different settings for about 4 years and plans to do more to become a Veterinarian one day. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys

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Jessica
Rehab Assistant

Michelle brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in both office management and customer service and client relations. For the past 27 years Michelle has owned, operated and managed all accounting and office staff in her

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Michelle McCarter
Office Manager

Carolyn brings many years experience in marketing for animal rehabilitation to her position at BARC. She was previously in the catering business in all aspects including event planning, managing, staffing and sales. She is

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Carolyn LaRocca
Marketing Director

Jamie has been an animal lover since before she could remember so working in the veterinary field seemed only fitting. Prior to joining BARC, she has always worked with animals in general practice and surgery. Her passions

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Jaime
Administrative Assistant

Jasmine has been an animal lover since she was a little girl.  She’s never had pets, so it’s always been a dream of hers to work in this field. Alongside 10 years of customer service experience, Jasmine has been working in

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Jasmine
Reception

Lynn was born and raised in Southern California and has been working in the veterinary field for many years, starting in general practice, then emergency and now rehabilitation.  In her spare time, Lynn enjoys going to Disneyland.

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Lynn
Reception

OUR SERVICES

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Acupuncture has been used in humans for years with great success and we use it as well in animals to reduce chronic pain and promote health and healing. The American Veterinary Association has recognized acupuncture as becoming a more mainstream part of veterinary medicine and it is widely used in the field of animal rehabilitation.

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This can include the following: LASER therapy which helps decrease inflammation, reduce pain, improve wound healing. Therapeutic Ultrasound which can be used to decrease tightness in muscles, increase blood flow or to drive medicine into an area. Electrical Stimulation which can be used to re-educate muscles that have atrophied, or reduce spasms and pain.

blue circle with a dog and water inside underwater treadmill icon

The underwater treadmill is used as a form of hydrotherapy for dogs and cats and is very beneficial in rehabilitation.  The underwater treadmill uses the resistance and buoyancy of water to prevent bearing weight on an injured or disabled limb or joint. When submerged, the weight of the body is supported, reducing stress on the joints.

BARC offers supervised day boarding for special needs dogs and their siblings. Whether just boarding or continuing rehabilitation treatments with us, we will treat your dog like one of our own. Each dog will reside in their own kennel with continuous supervision, personalized attention, and numerous walks throughout their day.

BARC offers supervised day boarding for special needs dogs and their siblings. Whether just boarding or continuing rehabilitation treatments with us, we will treat your dog like one of our own. Each dog will reside in their own kennel with continuous supervision, personalized attention, and numerous walks throughout their day.

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Front Wheel/Rear Wheel and Quad Carts. If your pet is in need of “wheels” to prolong or improve their mobility we can help. At BARC we choose to work closely with Eddie’s Wheels to make sure that your cart is properly measured and built specifically for your pet.

dog bowl inside a blue circle nutrition icon

Proper nutrition is a key element in the healing process. We at BARC want you to know exactly what you are feeding your pet and how it may benefit them during the rehabilitation process. We will take the time to review your current food explaining all the ingredients and if requested

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At BARC, we understand how important it is to keep pets clean and smelling nice. Many dogs and cats are injured, in pain, and unable to stand in a tub or on a table for a standard grooming session. Because of this we offer special needs baths for our patients in a clean, roomy, well ventilated room.