A Vet's Guide To Country Dogs

After two decades of working as a rural veterinary surgeon, mostly at James Herriot’s old North Yorkshire practice in Thirsk, Julian Norton has learned a thing or two about dogs. Here he shares some tales and useful tips...

- Julian Norton

Dogs have been part of my life ever since I was a little boy. One of my very first memories is of burying my face in the soft, fleecy fur of my grandparents’ Bedlington terriers. The dainty-but-tough terriers were exactly the right height for a two-year-old.

Growing up, I spent much of my spare time – after school and in the holidays – helping in my grandmother’s boarding kennels. Cleaning out kennels and food bowls, and walking the dogs that were staying there, I started to learn the ways of canines and got to know the fascinating nuances of a dog’s character.

Since those early days, and through my work as a veterinary surgeon in my beloved North Yorkshire, my knowledge of and love for dogs has continued to grow. I am passionate about mixed practice. Treating an array of species – cows, sheep, horses, dogs and cats, rabbits and guinea pigs – makes every day different and keeps me on my toes.

Today’s list, for example, starts with a ferret to spay and a red-tailed buzzard to treat for bumblefoot, followed by a fertility test on a prize Limousin bull.

However, if I had to choose one type of patient to treat for the rest of my career, it would undoubtedly be the dog.

My own dog, Emmy – a long-bodied, short-legged, wiry Jack Russell terrier – is an enthusiast for life and does most things at a 100 miles an hour. Her character matches my own. This morning, after a wet and windy but high-octane dawn walk, she settled down to sleep peacefully in her basket next to the fire. The walk was a cold and muddy affair, but uneventful.