It was certainly a hallucination this time. I was looking into the past, I really ought to go to bed immediately. But I was still rooted to the door post when the Labrador bounded up the steps, made an attempt, aborted by the soup can, to lick my face and contented himself with cocking a convivial leg against the bottom step.
I stared into Mrs Westby’s radiant face. ‘What . . . what . . . ?’
With her sparkling eyes and wide smile she looked more attractive than ever. ‘Look, Mr Herriot, look! He’s better, he’s better!’
In an instant I was wide awake. ‘And I . . . I suppose you’ll want me to get that can off him?’
‘Oh yes, yes, please!’
It took all my strength to lift him on to the table. He was heavier now than before his illness. I reached for the familiar forceps and began to turn the jagged edges of the can outwards from the nose and mouth. Tomato soup must have been one of his favourites because he was really deeply embedded and it took some time before I was able to slide the can from his face.
I fought off his slobbering attack. ‘He’s back in the dustbins, I see.’
‘Yes, he is, quite regularly. I’ve pulled several cans off him myself. And he goes sliding with the children, too.’ She smiled happily.
Thoughtfully I took my stethoscope from the pocket of my white coat and listened to his lungs. They were wonderfully clear. A slight roughness here and there, but the old cacophony had gone.
I leaned on the table and looked at the great dog with a mixture of thankfulness and incredulity. He was as before, boisterous and full of the joy of living. His tongue lolled in a happy grin and the sun glinted through the surgery window on his sleek golden coat.
‘But Mr Herriot,’ Mrs Westby’s eyes were wide, ‘how on earth has this happened? How has he got better?’
‘Vis medicatrix naturae,’ I replied in tones of deep respect.
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘The healing power of nature. Something no veterinary surgeon can compete with when it decides to act.’
‘I see. And you can never tell when this is going to happen?’
‘No.’
For a few seconds we were silent as we stroked the dog’s head, ears and flanks.
‘Oh my word, yes! They’re in the washing-machine at this very moment. Absolutely covered in mud. Isn’t it marvellous!’
Dogs like Brandy have always lightened my life. The ones who do funny things and make me laugh. He was a natural comedian and even his troubles with dustbins had their funny side, but his pneumonia did wipe the smile off my face for quite a long time. It is good to end my book with a story about a genuine doggy character like Brandy, and a story, too, with a happy ending. To this day I really don’t know why he got better, but it doesn’t matter.
Note
The stories in this collection first appeared as chapters 11, 13, 21 and 30 in If Only They Could Talk; chapters 12, 19, 27 and 29 in It Shouldn’t Happen To A Vet; chaptes 1, 7, 8 and 21 in Let Sleeping Vets Lie; chapters 2, 3, 4, 17, 18, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 34 and 35 in Vets in Harness; chapters 4, 5, 7, 13, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26 and 29 in Vets Might Fly; chapters 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20 and 22 in Vet in a Spin; and chapters 2, 13, 15, 25, 27, 34 and 36 in The Lord God Made Them All.
JAMES HERRIOT’S DOG STORIES
James Herriot grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF.
James Herriot’s interests extended beyond writing and veterinary work to music, and dog-walking in the Dales. He was married, with a son who is a veterinary surgeon and a daughter who is a doctor.
James Herriot was a pseudonym. He died in 1995.
Also by James Herriot in Pan Books
If Only They Could Talk
It Shouldn’t Happen To a Vet
Let Sleeping Vets Lie
Vet In Harness
Vets Might Fly
Vet In a Spin
The Lord God Made Them All
and omnibus editions
All Creatures Great and Small
comprising If Only They Could Talk
It Shouldn’t Happen To a Vet
and three chapters from
Let Sleeping Vets Lie
All Things Bright And Beautiful
comprising the majority of chapters from
Let Sleeping Vets Lie
Vet in Harness
All Things Wise and Wonderful
comprising Vets Might Fly and
Vets In a Spin
First published 1986 by Michael Joseph Ltd
This edition published 1992 by Pan Books
This electronic edition published 2012 by Pan Books
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ISBN 978-1-447-23027-4 EPUB
Copyright © James Herriot 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981
This collection © James Herriot 1986
Illustrations © Victor Ambrus 1986
The right of James Herriot to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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