No Dogs in Heaven? Scenes from the Life of a Country Veterinarian

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 192 pages
• Published by: Running Press April 10, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0786715243
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0786715244
• Book Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 7.2 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
What happens when a young vet from a small-animal practice in the big city (in this case, Chillicothe, Ohio) buys a smalltown, mixed-animal veterinary practice from its retiring owner? He quickly finds himself treating ornery bulls and drunken pigs, delivering calves by C-section, stitching up horses and shaving cats who've had buckets of paint spilled on them. He also learns that the "three requirements to practice in the country are to be able to drive a truck like a maniac, rope cattle in the dark, and drive a truck like a maniac." In this collection of a few dozen colloquial anecdotes about veterinary life, Sharp brings wit and warmth to his portrayals of the animals and people of Hillsboro, Ohio. He tells of the eccentric old lady who cared for the stray dogs that no one else wanted, the goat who escaped from his pen and eluded capture for weeks, and the cat that someone left in a bag at his office with a note reading: "Dear Compashient sic Vet, this Please do something with / cat-cure it or kill it! THANK YOU!" (The cat, happily, was cured.) Good-natured, a little rambling, but never long-winded, these tales are as much for the fan of smalltown living as they are for the animal lover, and Sharp himself is a winning raconteur.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Rookie veterinarian Sharp decided he wanted to be his own boss and to own his own practice. Although knowing little of large-animal veterinary work, he purchased a country practice from a retiring veterinarian and plunged into farmwork. Sharp regales the reader with tales from his daily life. One group of stories follows the author during his first weeks on the job, as he learns the back roads on his way to calf deliveries and treats a pen of "sick" pigs that turned out to be drunk on fermented feed. Another selection of stories involves dealing with animal owners, who often need as much treatment as their charges, such as the young girl who lifted her top to ask if the circular lesion on her breast was the same as her puppy's ringworm--it was. Once-in-a-lifetime cases fill another section, like the box turtle with a crushed shell, mended with the Bondo Sharp was using to repair a boat. These often amusing tales should find a wide audience. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
In the interests of full disclosure, I've known the author since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. So when I learned the book he'd written about his experiences as a rural veterinarian was about to be published, I was thrilled. That is, until the thought struck: What on earth would I say to him if it was awful? What a waste of worry that was! From the first page on, I was hooked; I didn't put it down till I'd reached the index a couple of hours later. The well-scripted vignettes are alternately funny, heart-warming and sweet -- but never saccharine. He is, after all, a working veterinarian; and dealing with the illnesses and injuries of animals (as well their often cantankerous owners) isn't always pretty. This book, in my opinion, is a don't-miss for anyone who loves animals and learning about the foibles of human nature. Rob has said many times that he considers himself lucky to have one of the "world's great jobs" -- and perhaps above all else, that belief comes through loud and clear. Only one question remains: Hey, Doc, when will the sequel be finished?