Back to: CBSE 10th English Chapters Summary
Mr. Herriot ( a veterinary surgeon) was astonished to see a small dog with his owner walking down the street. It was Tricki with his mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey. Tricki had become very fat lately, like a bloated sausage with legs. Mr. Herriot was worried about Tricki.
Upon seeing the doctor, Mrs. Pumphrey told him that Tricki became very weak, so she frequently fed him. She fed her some cod oil and Horlicks at night to make him sleep.
The doctor asked if she had cut all the sweets as advised by him, but Mrs. Pumphrey replied that Tricki loved ice-creams and cakes, so she gave him that. The doctor looked at Tricki, who never refused any food, and wondered about all the things his mistress did not mention.
The doctor asked if she was giving him any exercise. Mrs. Pumphrey mentioned that she used to give him little walks, but since her Gardner Hodgkin was sick, Tricki had no exercise lately.
The doctor told Mrs. Pumphrey that If she did not cut all the sweet foods, Tricki would fall ill. Mrs. Pumphrey resolved to give Tricki healthy food and many exercises though it was challenging for her. Tricki also walked with her. He had different clothes for different occasions.
Mrs. Pumphrey called the doctor after a few days. She told the doctor that Tricky had stopped eating at all. He would lay on the ground panting all day. Mrs. Pumphrey also suspected him of vomiting. The doctor advised immediate hospitalization.
When the doctor was shifting Tricki to the hospital, the entire house staff became wet-eyed. Mrs. Pumphrey threw his coats into the car. While driving the car, the doctor patted Tricki, and he responded lightly.
In the hospital, the other dogs snuffed Tricki and ignored him. For two days, he gave Tricki nothing but water. Slowly, Tricki started to show some interest in his surroundings. The next day, other dogs joined Tricki, and they started to play.
Later that day, it was feeding time. The doctor could hear the eating sounds of dogs. Every dog was in a hurry. When every dog left, tricky licked the remaining bowls. The next day, the doctor placed a separate bowl for Tricky.
Tricky became a member of the dog gang. He played with them all day and hunted for rats at night. He never had such a good time in his life. Mrs. Pumphrey would call the doctor multiple times a day to enquire whether Tricki received the royal treatment. The doctor dodged her questions and told her that Tricki was out of danger now.
She sent boiled eggs for tricky, followed by glasses of wines, which Mr. Herriot and his partners drank. The doctor felt a need to keep Tricky a patient permanently. However, he knew that Mrs. Pumphrey was suffering, so he called and told her that Tricki had recovered.
The next day, a long black Limousine came to the hospital. Mr. Herriot went to the backyard to fetch Tricky, who now had become a muscular animal. Upon seeing Mrs. Pumphrey, Tricki became excited and licked her. Mrs. Pumphrey told the doctor, “This is a triumph of surgery!”
