All Things Bright and Beautiful: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

Colonel Bosworth calls Jim about his cat Maudie. She was hit by a car and her jaw was dislocated. Bosworth urges Jim to euthanize her, but Jim suspects that Granville can help her. He anesthetizes her and drives her to Harrington. Granville deftly operates on Maudie, impressing Jim yet again. Afterward, he gives Jim a tour of the hospital and invites him to a talk at the Northern Veterinary Society. Recalling his last visit, Jim hesitates. He doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Zoe again. However, he eventually consents because he’s well-dressed and sober.

Jim and Granville make the long walk to the Northern Veterinary Society in the snow. They arrive at the talk just as it’s ending. Jim realizes Granville didn’t care about the talk and only wanted to go for the refreshments. Then, Granville invites Jim to his house because Zoe wants to see him again. On the way, he insists on stopping at the pub. They only stay for 30 minutes, but Jim is drunk when they arrive at Granville’s. He tries to keep his composure, but he embarrasses himself in front of Zoe once again.

Back at the village, Jim visits Roland Partridge to inspect his dog Percy. Roland is a bachelor artist who loves his dog. Jim examines Percy and discovers that he’s been limping because one of his testicles is enlarged. He insists that Percy will have to have the testicle removed, but Roland worries the operation will upset Percy. Jim doesn’t understand Roland’s worry, but he can’t persuade Roland otherwise.

Roland calls Jim again about Percy. The dog’s testicle is worsening, and Roland thinks he should have the surgery. The operation temporarily improves Percy’s condition. However, not long later, the other testicle gets inflamed, too. Jim gives Percy an injection to mitigate the situation. Soon, all of the other male neighborhood dogs start chasing Percy like he’s a female dog in heat. Eventually, the phenomenon abates, and Percy improves. Jim can’t understand what happened, but knows Roland and Percy are happy again.

Jim describes a series of strange calls he gets from different clients about their animals. Once, Joe Bentley comes to the surgery drunk. He stands on the step, pretending to call Jim on the phone about a sick cow. Another time, Mr. Biggins calls about a sick cow but refuses to let Jim come over because he insists it’ll be too expensive.

One time, a veterinary student named Richard Carmody shadows Jim on his calls. Jim quickly realizes how intelligent Carmody is and feels embarrassed when Carmody diagnoses the animals better than him. Then, one day, Carmody gets bitten by a client’s dog. Jim considers helping him but decides against it.

Jim continues working with Carmody. One day, Carmody asks for more responsibility on their calls. Jim consents, giving him more annoying tasks, including chasing pigs into a pen. Not long later, Carmody leaves Darrowby. He goes back to school for another degree, eventually earning his doctorate. Over the years, Jim follows his career. He hears him speak years later, and Carmody’s manner is unchanged.

Mr. Kitson calls Jim for lambing help. Jim works carefully to deliver the lambs, but one ewe doesn’t look like she’ll make it. Jim anesthetizes her, hopeful that she’ll die without pain. Not long later, Jim returns to the farm to help Kitson again. He’s shocked when he sees the sick ewe frolicking in the field. Kitson explains that she slept for two days straight and woke up healed. To Jim, this is a miracle and a lesson to let nature run its course.

Jim continues thinking about Kitson’s ewe over the following weeks. Then, one day, the Flaxtons call Jim about their poodle, Penny. The dog has diarrhea and keeps vomiting, but they can’t understand why. Upset by her suffering, they urge Jim to put her down. Jim remembers Kitson’s ewe and suggests anesthetizing Penny so she can rest. Sure enough, Penny sleeps for two days and wakes up healed.

Jim reflects on his love for his dog Sam. Sam was originally Helen’s dog, but he has become Jim’s pet. Sam particularly loves to ride around on calls in Jim’s car. Because of Sam, Jim understands why people love their pets.

One day, Jim visits Mrs. Tompkin’s house. She’s an older lady with a pet budgie named Peter who needs his beak trimmed. Mrs. Tompkin’s neighbor Mrs. Dodds lets Jim in and shows him to Peter’s cage. Jim reaches in and extracts the bird, but he dies in Jim’s hand. Jim wasn’t rough with Peter and assumes Peter died of fright. He fears telling Mrs. Tompkin about the bird because she loves Peter so much. He and Mrs. Dodds agree that Jim should buy her a new bird. He drives into town, buys a new budgie, and puts him in Peter’s cage, telling Mrs. Tompkin that Peter is healed. Some months later, he returns to check on Peter. Mrs. Tompkin exclaims at how changed Peter is.

Jim visits Mrs. Cook to see about her pregnant dog Cindy. She wants Jim to give her a shot to induce labor, but Jim doesn’t think Cindy is ready yet. Over the following days, Jim visits several more times, and each time the woman begs him to give Cindy the shot. Finally, Siegfried steps in and gives Cindy the shot, and she has her puppies. Mrs. Cook scolds Jim for not listening to her.

Jim visits Mr. Wilkins about his dog Gyp. Jim deduces that Gyp has epilepsy but apologizes that there’s nothing he can do for him. The other odd thing about Gyp is that he never barks. Still, Jim insists he’ll be okay. Over the following months, he often visits Wilkins and always notices how happy Gyp seems with his brother Sweep. The two sheepdogs are Wilkins’s pride. Jim is therefore surprised when Wilkin gives Sweep to another farmer named Crossley. Not long later, they all end up at a dog show together. When Gyp sees Sweep, he barks for the first time. Years later, Jim confirms with the Wilkins that Gyp hasn’t barked since that day.

Jim hears some jazz music playing while walking through town, and it reminds him of his courtship with Helen. One night, he, Tristan, and Siegfried attended the Daffodil Ball with a group of friends. Jim felt upset when he saw Helen there with Richard Edmundson and another group of friends. The Farnon brothers urged him to dance with Helen, insisting she wasn’t necessarily there as Richard’s date. Jim tried, but he didn’t get the opportunity. Then, he got a call about a pregnant dog and had to leave. He ran into Helen on his way out, and they shared a tender moment and kissed. Jim invited her to join him on his call. They went to the Chapmans’, where Jim delivered seven puppies. When they left, Jim introduced Helen to the Chapmans as his girlfriend.