James Herriot had planned to get Tricky out of the house because the dog’s excessive eating had become a problem, and Mrs. Pumphrey was overfeeding him. Herriot needed to reduce Tricky’s weight to improve his health. He executed this by having Tricky stay at the surgery for a few days, where he would be fed a controlled diet and get some exercise, away from Mrs. Pumphrey’s indulgence.
