Mike Small worked as a New Zealand vet with farm animals and small animals, encountering a range of loveable, hilarious, eccentric and larger-than-life characters, both two- and four-legged. This warm-hearted memoir recounts his life as a vet from his training through his apprenticeship to the running of his own practice. Along the way he has dealt with practical jokers, rock-eating dogs, intersex cats, the new puppy discovering the old pet (with surprising results), a range of rural types from rough to refined, and much more besides. This memoir is set against the beautiful New Zealand landscape that Mike knew so well, travelling country winding roads on his many house calls. Mike writes with compassion and gentle humour, and anyone who has loved James Herriot's stories will enjoy these short accounts from a rich and rewarding life as a vet downunder.