Chapters 16 - 19 Summary

Chapter sixteen shows how not all of Herriot's memories of his vet practice are pleasant. One period encompasses the tragic outbreak of dog poisonings with strychnine. Of all things a vet faces, purposeful poisoning is the worst. Herriot believes his job to be one of bettering the lives of animals in his community. The victims are a beautiful dalmatian, the dog of a friend, a spaniel, and Fergus. Of all of them, Fergus affects James the most because Fergus is a seeing-eye dog for Johnny Clifford. Herriot gives Fergus a very chancy dose of a barbiturate in a desperate attempt to save the dog. Of all the dogs poisoned, only Fergus survives. Herriot cannot say whether it was the massive dose of the treatment or if Fergus got a smaller dose of poison, but he is glad that if only one...