Demelza is Operations Manager at AES Underwood. Prior to joining the Animal Emergency Service, Demelza worked in health regulation and brings a solid history in operations management. Demelza describes just falling into her role at AES, which was perfect as she’s always loved being around animals. With godparents who are farmers in the UK, she grew up around sheep and cattle and has always had a passion for helping animals. She even considered a career as a vet, but her self-proclaimed not-so-good math skills were somewhat of a barrier to pursuing it.
Demelza loves working at AES, and her favourite cases are any that involve strange or unusual pets! It’s the bond between owner and pet that really drives her passion for what she does. Having had chickens, snakes, lizards and rats come through the door, all displaying such strong bonds with their owners, “It’s so lovely to see,” she says.
In her spare time Demelza loves to go hiking, kayaking, climbing, travelling, as well as the more hedonistic pleasures such as wine and gin tasting! Although her own pets don’t join her on outings (her two cats who aren’t huge fans of the car!), Demelza loves borrowing her friends’ horses and dogs to go for a ride or walk.
What is the most memorable or unusual case to come through the hospital while you were on shift?
I always love it when we have pet snakes come through, we had a baby jungle python come through earlier this year who had come off worse in a squabble with the owner’s cat!
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you on a shift?
We had a tame rainbow lorikeet in, who was flying from staff member to staff member, eliciting high-pitched shrieks from all! Stray kittens usually get a lot of love, and generally result in lovely pictures and a lot of laughs on shift.
Tell us about why you like working for AES, and how you think we offer the best care for our patients.
As a pet mum myself I’m so proud of the service we provide. I know I can recommend our practice and company to my friends and family with absolute confidence.