Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Chimp Who Loved Me by Annie Greer

Geared towards animal lovers and readers looking for a humorous read, The Chimp Who Loved Me is Annie Greer's memoir about her veterinary practice with her husband Kent, another veterinarian. 

Based in Florida, the couple treats household pets, but also work with large farm animals and even exotic animals.  The book is broken into three sections.  The first section talks about the exotic animals such as chimps, giraffes, wolves, tigers and camels that the couple has either worked on or fostered.  Annie talks about the fact that the biggest issue with wild animals is the human belief that loving an animal changes its wild nature.  Most humans who are hurt by these animals have decided to believe that the animal has been tamed, but this is far from the truth.  The recent case where a chimp almost killed a woman is one example.

The second part of the book is about the Greer's time as owners of a petting zoo and their current time as farmers with cows, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry.  Greer's love of animals shines in this section, with stories about their pet pig and a pet turkey that are heart-warming.  It also discusses the thrill of going to very rural areas in order to purchase livestock and some of the scares they have had on such expeditions.

The last part of the book relates some of the stories of strange pet owners they have encountered over the years.  Some of these stories will make the readers hair stand on end!  This book is recommended for animal lovers.  Greer has an amusing, light-hearted tone throughout, but her passion and love for animals shines through the humour. 

2 comments:

StephTheBookworm said...

I loved this book and thought it was so hilarious!

Karen said...

I'm going to have to find this one.
Karen