Saving Molly A Research Veterinarian's Choices—for the Love of Animals

How rescuing a puppy led a veterinarian to rethink the ethics of his work: “Will surely interest everyone who cares about animal welfare and animal rights” (Library Journal). The puppy was on the verge of death when James Mahoney found her. Molly was not the first dying animal the research veterinarian had seen—but her struggle touched his heart, and sent him barreling over rough Jamaican mountains in a borrowed car during his vacation, searching for the equipment he’d need to save her. Saving Molly is not only the story of a rescued dog, but also of a rescued man. As he cares for the runt of the litter and raises her, he asks himself questions: How can he spend his days with chimpanzees locked behind bars and still say that he loves them? What do we owe them for their participation in medical research? Why is saving a single puppy important? In this “well-written, engaging book,” James Mahoney reflects on his early attraction to veterinary medicine, when he dreamed of being a horse doctor in Ireland; the debates both within his field and within his own mind about what’s right and wrong when it comes to laboratory work; and what he’s learned from fifty years of living with animals—and with the two-legged primates who study them (Library Journal). Written by the man Jane Goodall called “one of the most gentle and compassionate people I know,” Saving Molly is an important addition to the debate on animal research and a heartfelt meditation on one man’s life. It includes an introduction by Roger A. Caras, president of the ASPCA. “He is concerned about the pain and the suffering of the animals. That’s what makes Jim Mahoney different.” —Alex Pacheco, founder of PETA “A different twist on the veterinary memoirs genre popularized by James Herriot, Mahoney’s examination of his motives as a research veterinarian makes for engrossing reading.” —Booklist