READ AND FIND OUT 

Page 1

Q1. Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey is worried about Tricki because he has become very listless and seems to have no energy. He has stopped eating his favourite dishes and has also had bouts of vomiting.

Q2. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Answer: To help him, she gives him extra food, such as malt, cod-liver oil, and Horlicks at night. She also gives him cream cakes and chocolates, things that she was told to cut down on. She is not wise in this at all; she is spoiling the dog and worsening his health problems.

Q3. Who does ‘T’ refer to in this story?

Answer: ‘I’ refers to Mr. James Herriot, the narrator and the veterinary surgeon who treats Tricki.

READ AND FIND OUT 

Page 3

Q1. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

Answer: No, the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress. This is clear from the way he describes the wine and brandy sent for Tricki. He and his partners drink it and feel a “deep content” and “finish luxuriously,” implying these are not luxuries they are used to.

Q2. How does he treat the dog?

Answer: He treats the dog with a strict and simple regime. For the first two days, he gives Tricki no food but plenty of water. He then puts him with other dogs, who ignore him at first, which forces Tricki to become an active member of the pack. He gives him plenty of exercise and food, and he recovers quickly.

Q3. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

Answer: He is tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest because of the luxurious items Mrs. Pumphrey starts sending to aid Tricki’s recovery. These include two dozen fresh eggs, bottles of wine, and even brandy. The narrator and his partners enjoy these treats immensely and have “days of deep content.”

Q4. Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?

Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey thinks the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery” because she believes he has undergone a serious medical procedure. She is unaware that the narrator has simply put the dog on a strict diet and given him plenty of exercise. Her statement is based on her misconception that her dog was saved from a fatal illness.

Think about it

Page 6

Q1. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense?

Answer: The narrator is a very tactful and sensible person. He understands Mrs. Pumphrey’s love for her dog but also sees that her foolish indulgence is harming Tricki. He tactfully suggests that the dog needs to be hospitalized, knowing that this is the only way to get him away from her overfeeding. He uses his common sense to cure Tricki by simply giving him a proper diet and exercise, which proves to be much more effective than any medicine.

Q2. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?

Answer: Yes, Tricki was extremely happy to go home. He loved Mrs. Pumphrey dearly and leaped into her lap as soon as he saw her. He had been transformed into a healthy, hard-muscled animal, but his love for his mistress remained. What will happen now is a subject of speculation. Mrs. Pumphrey’s nature is to be indulgent, so there is a high chance that she might resume her old ways, which could lead to Tricki getting ill again.

Q3. Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?

Answer: The story feels like a mixture of both. The characters and situations are described with such vivid detail that they seem real. However, the over-the-top indulgence of Mrs. Pumphrey and the narrator’s comical descriptions of enjoying the eggs, wine, and brandy suggest that the story is a humorous work of fiction based on a common real-life experience of pet owners who pamper their pets excessively.

Talk about it

Page 7

Q1. This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their actions cause harm to others?

Answer: While the actions of such people might seem silly, they can definitely cause harm. In Mrs. Pumphrey’s case, her foolish indulgence and lack of a firm hand almost killed her dog. By overfeeding him and not giving him enough exercise, she was a direct cause of his serious illness. Her actions, born out of misguided love, were physically harmful to another living creature.

Q2. Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?

Answer: Yes, there are certainly parents who, out of love or loneliness, behave like Mrs. Pumphrey. They may be overprotective, over-indulgent, and fail to set healthy boundaries. Such parents might give their children too many treats or shield them from difficulties, which can lead to negative consequences for the children’s health, discipline, or social development.

Q3. What would you have done if you were: (i) a member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s household, (ii) a neighbour? What would your life have been like, in general?

Answer:

(i) As a member of the staff, it would be difficult to intervene, but I would likely try to discreetly help Tricki. I would make sure he got a little extra exercise, perhaps by taking him on longer walks when Mrs. Pumphrey wasn’t looking, or I might try to reduce the portions of his food without her noticing. My life would probably be a bit chaotic, with a lot of back-and-forth between Mrs. Pumphrey’s demands and the dog’s well-being.

(ii) As a neighbour, I would probably be concerned but unsure of how to help directly. I might tactfully suggest a different type of food or a fun activity for Tricki, or even recommend a vet. My life would be filled with seeing Mrs. Pumphrey’s constant fussing over her dog.

Q4. What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?

Answer: If I were in the narrator’s place, I would have done exactly what he did. His plan was a clever mix of professional expertise and a deep understanding of human (and animal) nature. By taking Tricki away, he broke the cycle of overfeeding and gave the dog a chance to recover in a natural, healthy environment. His tactful handling of Mrs. Pumphrey’s emotional distress was also a crucial part of the process.