Touching, warmly written stories that wrap around your heart. Told in the style of James Herriot All Creatures Great and Small. Each chapter, a different story. I laughed, cried, and was able to relate to the joys and burdens we face making decisions about the pets we love and cherish. And the challenges we encounter during new beginnings or when growing through relationships. And how we touch each other’s lives. Dr. Monica Mansfield’s descriptive writing paints a lovely and compassionate literary picture of her first year practicing as a veterinarian in rural New Hampshire. From folks I know who regularly vacation in that area of the country, she captured the landscape and the culture beautifully. I highly recommend it.

Monica Mansfield is not only a friend but a multi-talented woman. Outstanding veterinarian,musician and mom. This book brings out all the warm and fuzzies it’s a good clean read.

It has everything to keep you interested and amused. Great stuff, can’t wait till the next book!!

The spirit of Alf Wight is alive and well and living in Monica Mansfield. Alf Wight is the real life name of James Herriot. In her book, The Black Panties: Tales of Animal Mischief and Veterinary Intrigue, Dr. Mansfield shares with her readers, in the best Herriot tradition, poignant stories of memorable patients from her first year in practice. She also takes time to smell the roses. Her descriptions of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the setting for the book, will transport you there in every season of the year.
I was a classmate of Monica’s at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a veterinarian, read this book. Dr. Mansfield captures the struggles we all experienced in our first year in practice, the task of converting book learning to skills that served both our patients and their owners, learning to trust ourselves through the long nights of self doubt agonizing over difficult cases.
Like Monica, I grew up on the stories of James Herriot and have been inspired by them throughout my career. Now I have a new book to put on the shelf with Herriot. Thank you, Monica, for sharing your stories with us and for bringing back the memories of my own first year in practice. I hope that you have continued to keep your diaries and that you will share more of your adventures with us.

Michael Stephan, D. V. M.
Cornell `87

I thoroughly enjoyed this gem of a book. Mansfield has a wonderful way of telling a story so that the reader feels a closeness to the animal. I highly recommend this book!

You have many reasons to read The Black Panties, Tales of Animal Mischief and Veterinary Intrigue: If you love to read about animals you will thoroughly enjoy this delightful book by veterinarian Monica Mansfield.

If you wish to learn more about what makes them tick, how they can be healed and helped, and how wonderfully they behave in a variety of circumstances, by all means buy this book. This compassionate veterinarian’s entertaining expose of the good and bad habits not to mention the mischievous antics of the cats and dogs portrayed in lovely sketches will keep you turning pages.

You will both giggle and sigh over the various animal personalities as they prance and leap through the pages.

As well, you will learn what it is to be a veterinarian from a first hand source; this is surely a must read for anyone considering a career in that field.