Danielle may be most recognisable from the BBC programme Animal Hospital which she describes as ‘quite an experience’. However her work with animals in and around the city is what makes her really stand out from the crowd.
In 2016 Danielle underwent major surgery and struggled to walk. “I feared I’d never work as a vet again” she said. From her bed she looked into ways to utilise her skills and came across the ‘Care for the Paw’ charity.
“The charity delivers food and bedding for dogs belonging to homeless people in the city centre and I asked if they could use a non-walking vet. ‘Can you put in microchips?’ was the response, and I started to hobble down to the Bombed Out Church, where I sat on the stone fence and helped where I could.”
Luckily, Danielle was able to regain the use of her legs. “Now I go out on a Saturday night to check on the dogs, and any who need veterinary treatment can receive it on the streets or occasionally at my clinic.”
Setting up The Liverpool Vets gave Danielle another avenue to help the local community. Not only does it act as a donation point for dog food, blankets and coats, but its foundation was set up to counter the ever-increasing corporatisation of the industry.
In 2019, Danielle was awarded ‘Vet of the Year’ by Petplan, a remarkable achievement, especially considering there were more than 40,000 nominations nationwide.