For the Love of Animals: Stories from my life as a vet

by James Greenwood

Growing up in Yorkshire and with farming blood in his genes, James Greenwood always knew he would end up as a vet.

Animals have been part of James' life for as long as he can remember, from pulling lambs on a hilltop farm as a child and having stick insects crawling out of his school uniform in class, to renting a flat behind a zoo in Jersey and finding himself treating a newborn baby elephant as a newly qualified vet. Written with his trademark warmth and humour, James offers a fascinating insight into the world of veterinary medicine with tales of treating cats and dogs, horses, pigs and cows, as well as delving deep into his relationship with his beloved and much-missed, one-eyed Labrador, Oliver.

However, the path to realising his childhood ambition has not always been easy and at times he has questioned whether it truly is the best job in the world. Through all of the challenging lows and extraordinary highs, it has been the animals themselves that have spurred James on to want to continue vetting and helping him find his calling as a GP vet. Warm, poignant and full of heart, James' story is both a beautiful tribute to the role animals play in our lives and a rare glimpse into what it's really like to be a vet, and is perfect for fans of Matt Baker, The Yorkshire Shepherdess and The Supervet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one person in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for James ^ Greenwood.

James Greenwood (1832-1929) was a British social explorer, journalist and writer. The Daily Telegraph on July 6, 1874, published an article written by James Greenwood, in which he reported on June 24, 1874 to have witnessed a human-baiting.

In 1876, Greenwood republished the article in his book Low-Life Deeps: An Account of the Strange Fish to Be Found There, in the chapter called In the Potteries.

Amongst his other works are Unsentimental Journeys; or, Byways of the Modern Babylon (1867), The Seven Curses of London (1869), In Strange Company (1874), The Wilds of London (1874), Mysteries of Modern London (1883), Odd People in Odd Places; or, The Great Residuum (1883) and Toilers in London (1883).

Reviews

[Jayne Hood · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a fantastic book very well written with the right balance of humour and emotion. Very interesting and informative. Really hope there is a follow-up.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It depends what you want from this book when you start reading it. For me, I wanted to learn more about the veterinary medicine career route and what to expect at vet school. This book certainly did that in a very stark way without sugarcoating, exactly as it should be. Because of this one track mentality, it meant I wasn't interested by his own personal commentary, self-reflections, nor the beginning chapter around his childhood. I'm sure, for some, this is excellent filler, but for me it felt redundant and unnecessary. Overall, this book was hilarious, gross, and in some case (such as the Barney chapter) had me in floods of tears. Greenwood isn't a born story teller but he paints a great picture of his early years as a vet.

[Claire Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love James Herriot, then you'll love this book. James writes with such warmth and love for the animals and owners that he's looked after.

He does warn at the beginning of a couple of chapters about abuse. I thought I'd seen, heard and read everything about cruelty. I was wrong. It was hard reading, but worth it as both animals made a full recovery.

I'm looking forward to reading more, if James writes any more books.