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Hello
A little introduction to me:
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I have lived in Derbyshire all my life, moving around different areas between Matlock and Chesterfield and have no intention of living elsewhere!
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I have 2 rescue ponies: Chalky and Percy, 2 canaries called Honey and Vulture, a rescue hen called Ginger and 2 dogs, a poodle mix called Jessie and my terrier mix, Maggie.
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Growing up, my mum always prioritised teaching me compassion and responsibility through caring for animals and just like her- I got the bug for it. From being as young as 4, my mum, sisters and I rescued horses, dogs, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, you name it-we've had it and we're still going!
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In 2022, 4 days before Christmas, we lost my beloved and only nephew to cancer. He had fought pretty much his whole life against the cursed disease and recovered twice-defying less than a 5% chance of survival but unfortunately, at the young age of 11, Riley Hill lost the battle. This grief completely devastated the family and still does to this day. Riley had such a love for life and had a real connection to nature and the environment and the same passion for rescuing animals just like my mum and I. It's our dream to one day, as a family, set up a rescue centre or rehoming facility in memory of Riley.
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The loss of Riley, although devasting, kicked me to work my hardest to achieve the goal of helping whatever animals I can throughout my life- we never know how much time we have and tomorrow is never promised. I believe we need to optimise the time that we do have and for me, that is going to be spent working towards helping those without a voice.
I decided I had to work with animals one way or another. Dog grooming and pet sitting fit the bill perfectly. I love what I do for work and I'm animal-mad so feel incredibly blessed to genuinely enjoy my job which I think would be fair to say, isn't as common as it should be for many professions in this generation.
Long term, I'd love to be working directly towards animal welfare as a whole either as an officer or rehoming manager to get that one step closer to having our very own rescue centre/facility.
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Until that point in my life- Welcome to Hill Hounds Derbyshire!
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Lydia Hill
My work:
I have worked as a dog grooming stylist for over three years after I developed a particular interest by branching out following opportunities from my experience in the pet retail sector. My main interest lies heavily with hands-on, direct animal care. I have experience with various animals including equine, canine, small animal, ornamental birds and aquatics with a past of managing sales and animal husbandry as well as considerable nutrition, behavioural and general welfare knowledge.
My work with animals goes as far back as being just 14 working at a professional livery yard for over 5 years!
Following that, I worked for the biggest chain pet store in the UK as a manager which then developed into dog grooming for another leading pet retailer for just under 2 years. After working at various salons on my days off, eventually, my skills developed and my competence increased. I set up my own registered business; Hill Hounds Derbyshire back in October 2023 after being in corporate for over 4 years and I'm so glad I took the risk!
I provide a variety of animal care-based services covering dog grooming, pet sitting, pet transportation etc in and around Derbyshire.
