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  • Essay / James Herriot - The Greatest Veterinarian

    James Herriot, a beloved veterinarian, began his life being born in the middle of the First World War without knowing the adventure that would unfold in the future. Also known as Alf, he lived in Glasgow and later gained employment in Thirsk as a veterinarian for country animals. Alf later wrote books about his funny stories about his experience as a veterinarian. When James was young he had a dog named Don, Don gave him the dream of becoming a vet but he had to work hard to achieve it, he then went to Glasgow Veterinary College and graduated; Alf received a job offer and agreed to leave his parents and move to Thirsk to start his new life as a veterinarian. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Born in 1926, James lived during the time of the First World War. Before he was born, a zeppelin bomb landed just five hundred meters from his house (Lord 7). His father James worked in the shipyard, his father also played piano for the cinema, Alf's mother Hannah sang for the cinema (Lord 7.8). After James' birth, he and his parents moved to Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland; he ate porridge and broth and on Sunday he ate margarine on a pile of potatoes (Lord 15, 16). For high school, Alf took the tram across town for three miles to Hillhead High School. Hillhead was such a quiet old world neighborhood where even after World War II there were still horses with delivery carts (Lord 39). Don, an Irish Red Setter, given to Alf by his father, inspired him to become a dog veterinarian (Lord 42). At thirteen, Alf's goal in life was to become a veterinarian or dog doctor (Lord 51). James then went to a college in Glasgow called Glasgow Veterinary College. When Alf began his first six years, the college became short of funds, which resulted in poor grades for the students and no good teachers worked at the school (Lord 61.63). Now knowing that he cannot be a veterinarian for dogs alone, Alf began to take an interest in the animals that teachers considered most important, the horse, the cow, the sheep, the pig and then the dog (Lord 72.73). By 1936, James had so much experience outside of college with veterinarians that he even worked when the veterinarian went on vacation and Alf took care of the case (Lord 78). In 1939, he finally took his MRCVS in December, just as Hitler was preparing to invade France and Norway (Lord 78,79). After Alf graduated from Glasgow the future taunted him if he could get a job, he has just become a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons so he should have found a job but it didn't seem have no luck finding a job (Lord 81). . For months, James lived with his parents eager to find a job, until one day he posted a job advert in Thirsk (84). Alf went to Thirsk and went to see the owner, Mr. Sinclair, but then realized that he would have to work with other animals, not just dogs (Lord 84). Mr Sinclair hardly cared for dogs, his main customers were farmers with their cows, horses, pigs and sheep (Lord 82).