Bob Baker was born to be a vet. Literally. Like a genetic disease. The son of a veterinarian, the brother of veterinarian, the brother of another veterinarian. He wasn’t planning to be a veterinarian as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, but genetics is a powerful force. The fact that he turned out to be such a skilled practitioner, an extraordinary teacher, a kind man of humor and compassion with virtually no treatment prejudices— treating cats, dogs, horses, farm animals, rodents, reptiles, birds— was just a bonus. He treated them all with equal fascination and dedication. He plucked a tick out of me one day, no charge, so I’ll add humans to the list. As it turned out, Bob is a great writer with a fascinating life to record; he’s witty, poignant, game, unconventional, adventurous, creative. A man with 100, maybe 1000 stories to tell and the ability to make you laugh and cry, to startle and astonish you, as he tells them. I love this book and I love this man. I think you will, too.” —John Farrell, Ph.d, author of The Crisis Clinic