R.a. Baldwin

Tails of the Prairie: My Life As a Small-town Veterinarian in Wyoming R.a. Baldwin

Bob Baldwin opens his first veterinary clinic in Sundance, Wyoming in 1951 on the same premises as the drugstore run by his wife Harriet. Certain "delicate" procedures can only be performed at night, so the sounds and smells won't scare off the soda fountain patrons. No matter, because most of Doc Baldwin's work comes on "house calls", heading out across the prairie via pickup, two-seat plane, or the horse a rancher leaves to ride a non-navigable road. After treating the likes of horses, cows, pigs, sheep, lambs, bulls, and mules, he often retreats to the rancher's kitchen for a home-cooked lunch. Of course, pets also need attention, and Doc Baldwin helps a dog that just can't win his battle with a porcupine, a cat that saved a baby from a rattlesnake attack and a bobcat that sleeps on the living room piano. At a county fair, he is held prisoner by an elephant until his wife's rescue, and he learns that in Wyoming, gumbo is not something you eat with a spoon. Through it all, Doc Baldwin maintains his humor and appreciation for the people and animals that live and die on the prairie.