Leanne Osborne, who spent five years in the army before going on to graduate as a veterinary surgeon, has been appointed to the key role at Leadon Vale Veterinary Centre in Ledbury.
Leanne said that while she thoroughly enjoyed her time in the military, her ultimate goal was always to work as a veterinary professional.
She said: “I had always wanted to be a vet but just missed out getting in after my A-levels, so I took a year out and joined the local Territorial Army.
“The army sponsored me through a physiology degree and I went on to join the army as a military police officer, training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.
“I was posted to Germany, where I lived for two years, and to Bosnia as a platoon commander and really enjoyed the military lifestyle of travel, lots of sports and adventure training.
“After five years in the service, I reapplied for graduate entry to a veterinary degree course and was successful.
“I have spent the past 15 years working in veterinary roles in charity organisations or emergency units.
“I have seen many challenging and interesting surgical cases in that time, including a puppy who had eaten several toy dinosaurs which I had to remove from his intestines!
“Other memorable cases were a Cavalier King Charles spaniel with a darning needle in his chest and a dog who swallowed a fishing hook.”
Leanne is now looking forward to her new leadership role as part of the Leadon Vale management team.
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She said: “I joined Leadon Vale at the end of September and I’m really excited by my role here.
“I was particularly attracted by the opportunity to work locally with a small, close-knit team and become part of the community.”
Leanne, who is also a qualified maths teacher, enjoys an energetic life away from work. She can be regularly spotted running with her dog Monty, likes travelling with her family in her campervan and taking part in ironman triathlon races.