Literature / Animal Inn

Animal Inn is a children's series by Virginia Vail, published from September 1986 to March 1991. It follows the Taylor family of Essex, Pennsylvania: "Doc" Theodore Taylor, who runs the veterinary hospital Animal Inn, thirteen-year-old series protagonist Valentine (who works part-time at Animal Inn as well), eleven-year-old ballerina-in-training Erin, and eight-year-old Teddy. The household also includes a number of pets.

The series consists of:

• 01: Pets Are For Keeps (September 1986) ^SummaryDoc Taylor gets a call from the Merrill stables, where champion show-jumper The Gray Ghost has suffered an injury. He and Val soon find that The Ghost is suffering from cataracts, and when Trevor Merrill decides to put him down, Val steps in to buy the horse in order to save his life.
• 02: A Kid's Best Friend (November 1986) ^SummaryWhen Doc's assistant Toby Curran brings in a badly wounded collie, Val swears to find the hit-and-run driver responsible for the animal's injury, and bring them to justice.
• 03: Monkey Business (February 1987) ^SummaryThe Taylors visit Zefferelli's Kosmic Karnival, but are horrified by the poor treatment of the animals in its menagerie, and take two of them to Animal Inn for treatment. When the carnival takes off overnight, the Taylors are left caring for a lion cub and a capuchin monkey until they can find new homes for them.
• 04: Scaredy Cat (April 1987) ^SummaryTeddy's dealing with a bully in school, but things take a surprising turn when the "bully" turns out to be just a lonely kid who's upset after a recent move... and has a cat who's suddenly come down very sick.
• 05: Adopt-a-Pet (June 1987) ^SummaryWhen the Essex Humane Society Animal Shelter burns down, Val sets up a Country Fair to raise money for a new shelter, and to help the animals find new homes. Soon, however, she finds herself involved in another mission to help a badly mistreated burro on a nearby farm.
• 06: All the Way Home (August 1987) ^SummaryA runty piglet named Tiny finds his way into Val's care, but Val's young visiting cousin Milton, who isn't comfortable around animals, isn't too happy about the pig's presence.
• 07: The Pet Makeover (March 1990) ^SummaryErin Taylor decides to give an unsolicited trim to Lila Bascombe's prize-winning poodle, which goes badly, and soon both Lila and her mother are threatening to sue Animal Inn over it.
• 08: Petnapped! (May 1990) ^SummaryThe town's pets begin disappearing mysteriously, and Val, Toby and the owner of one of the kidnapped dogs must solve the case.
• 09: One Dog Too Many (August 1990) ^SummaryVal brings home another rescue dog, but is surprised when the rest of her family is less than thrilled by little Andy's presence.
• 10: Parrot Fever (September 1990) ^SummaryVal's in for a surprise when a flock of tropical parrots lands in one of the trees outside her window. She's in for an even bigger surprise when the birds and Animal Inn become front-page news.
• 11: Oh Deer! (November 1990) ^SummaryEssex's deer population has grown to what the town claims is too much, and Val finds herself opposed to their efforts to thin the herd via hunting.
• 12: Gift Horse (March 1991) ^SummaryVal has finally saved enough money for the operation to save The Gray Ghost's sight. Unfortunately, there are risks involved that could leave him completely blind, and she finds herself having to make a tough choice. Meanwhile, there's more excitement in town as Doc prepares for his upcoming wedding to Catherine Sparks.

Not to be confused with the 2016 series of the same name by Paul DuBois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender, which follows an "all-inclusive pet resort/hotel/center/spa for animals".

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The series contains examples of:

• Alpha Bitch: Lila Bascombe, the snobbish daughter of one of the richest families in town and also one of the biggest jerks.
• Animal Lover: Val, who loves animals to the point of having become a vegetarian because she can't stand the thought of eating an animal she's once treated, and one of her biggest peeves is people who abandon or mistreat animals of any kind. However, even she has her limits, as seen in book 3 when Gigi the capuchin monkey drives her a little bananas.
• The Bet: In book 1, after Val diagnoses Harvey Curran the rabbit, Toby doesn't believe her, so Val bets him a week's salary that she's right with her diagnosis. Toby, in turn, agrees that if she's right, he'll work at Animal Inn, without payment, for two weeks. Val, naturally, is right, and her father agrees to the conditions when he finds out. Toby stays on as a paid employee after his first two weeks, and is still there at the end of the series.
• Big Eater: Teddy Taylor, who claims it's because he's a growing boy and needs the nourishment. Also Cleveland the cat, who demands four meals a day plus snacks.
• The Bully: Sparky, when first introduced in book 4, who's lashing out partly in reaction to suddenly moving to a new town and being angry at the local kids for not even giving her a chance. She stops after she gets to know Teddy and joins his circle of friends.
• Christmas Episode: Book 11 is set around the holiday season.
• City Mouse:
  • Marcy Butler, Mr. and Mrs. Bauer's visiting niece in book 4, who comes to Essex from the big city. She's more scared of the animals than anything, but opens up with Erin's help due to a shared interest in ballet and comes to bond with the new lambs on the farm.
  • Val's young visiting cousin Milton in book 6, a city kid who's unhappy about being around animals (especially pigs).
  • Erin actually has this briefly in book 6 after spending almost two weeks in the city, and having to readjust to being in Essex.
• Covered in Gunge: Val and Andy, the dog she rescues from a tar basin, in the start of book 9.
• A Dog Named "Dog": Book 3 features Little Leo, a lion cub.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": Valentine Taylor is a lesser example, as she just goes by Val or Vallie most of the time. Philomena Sparks, on the other hand, can't stand her first name and goes by Phil or Sparky.
• Following in Relative's Footsteps: Two of the Taylor children each want to take after a parent.
  • Val takes after her father in her love of animals and chosen career as a vet, working at Animal Inn part-time to help him out.
  • Middle child Erin wants to be a ballerina like her mother, who performed in the Pennsylvania Ballet before her death.
• Friend to All Living Things: Val's never met an animal that didn't like her. Even Gigi the capuchin monkey in book 3, despite her misbehaving, does genuinely like Val.
• Interspecies Friendship: Pedro the burro and Ludwig the german shepherd, introduced in book 5 and adopted by Miss Maggie Rafferty.
• Kindly Housekeeper: Mrs. Racer, the visiting housekeeper who's been helping out the Taylors since Mrs. Taylor died, and Mrs. Wilson, the live-in housekeeper for the Sparks family.
• Lethal Chef: Val's really not that good a cook. Known examples include an incident where she forgot to put baking powder in "baking powder biscuits", and when she put a whole chicken in the oven with the plastic bag of giblets still inside. Her siblings also tease her by claiming she could burn lemonade.
• Menagerie of Misery: Zefferelli's Kosmic Karnival in book 3 houses one of these. The animals there are all miserable, and two in particular are very sick, to the point where Doc insists on taking two of them — Gigi the Capuchin monkey and Little Leo the lion cub — to Animal Inn for treatment. Then the carnival pulls up stakes and leaves town overnight, abandoning the animals to the Taylors' care.
• Messy Pig: Discussed in book 6 by Mr. Pollard, owner of a pig farm, who comments on how people think pigs are messy animals, but they really aren't — they roll around in the mud because it helps them keep cool.
• Mischief-Making Monkey: Book 3 features Gigi the capuchin, who causes quite a bit of trouble for the Taylor family when she's recovered enough. The last straw for Val is when Gigi bites Cleveland's tail, prompting Val to insist that the monkey go. (And she does, to a nearby petting zoo that treats its animals well.)
• Missing Mom: Val's mother died in a car accident three years before the start of the series.
• Odd Name Out: Val's rabbits are named Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail... and Sam. (Which is apparently a retcon, since he's referred to as Peter in the first book.)
• Parent with New Paramour: Catherine Sparks, introduced in book 4, becomes engaged to Doc in book 11 and marries him in book 12. Val, Erin and Teddy aren't happy about the idea at first, despite liking her — they just don't like the idea of someone "replacing" their mother (and Erin had the hardest time with it). Fortunately, Catherine is very understanding of their reactions and, with time, the kids accept that she's not going to try and replace Mrs. Taylor in their hearts. Sparky, on the other hand, didn't have any trouble with the idea of Doc being her stepfather at all.
• Plagiarism in Fiction: In book 3, Val Taylor has written an essay for a contest being held by the Humane Society. When she hands it in in class, her Alpha Bitch classmate Lila Bascombe manages to steal it and submits it under her own name. Fortunately, having written it longhand (and then typed up two copies, the second after her temporary roommate Gigi the monkey tore up the first one), Val's got it memorized and is able to recite it from heart, proving she was the original author.
• Put on a Bus: Book 3 and book 6 each focus on the Taylors temporarily taking care of an animal, who goes to a new home at the end.
  • Book 3 features Gigi the capuchin monkey and Little Leo the lion cub, who are both given to Wildlife Farm, a special petting zoo, in the end.
  • Book 6 features Tiny the runty piglet, who goes home with Mrs. Racer to her farm in the end.
• The Runt at the End: Book 6 features Tiny the piglet, who's literally the runt of his litter (the smallest of ten), and whom Val is given as a present since his former owner feels Val would take better care of him and out of gratitude for Doc saving the entire litter.
• Second Love: Catherine Sparks for Doc Taylor, who proposes to her during a Christmas celebration in book 11, and marries her in book 12.
• Shout-Out: In book 2, Teddy's temporary ferret Frank is explicitly named for Major Frank Burns (AKA "Ferret-face").
• Shout-Out Theme Naming:
  • Three of Val's four rabbits are Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail.
  • Teddy's hamsters are John, Paula, George and Ringo.
  • Jake Curran's rabbit Harvey has six babies, whose names are given in book 2 — two of them are named for Tarzan and Jane, and two are named for comic book characters: Captain Marvel and Hulk.
• Spiders Are Scary: Mrs. Racer and Erin certainly think so in book 6, as they have minor panic attacks when Teddy brings home Herman the tarantula, a class pet, for a short while.
• Straw Vegetarian: Averted by Val — she loves animals and won't eat meat because she can't bring herself to eat an animal she might have helped care for in her veterinary work (though she will eat animal products like eggs and cheese), and does occasionally cringe when someone else brings up the subject of eating meat in her presence. However, she doesn't try to force her beliefs on others, stating in book 4 that "I don't expect everybody to feel the way I do about animals", and will help prepare meat dishes for her family. She also isn't opposed to animals eating meat when it's in their species' nature. However, she does have a rather strong objection to hunting, which becomes a plot point in book 11.
• Thanksgiving Episode: The later part of book 9.
• Unexpected Inheritance: When elderly Mr. Roy Miller suddenly dies in book 12, he leaves his pride and joy — his six-year-old chestnut mare Dancer (and her bridle, saddle and horse blanket) — to Val, much to her surprise. Roy Junior, who inherited everything else (and plans to sell the family farm and move to New York), explains that his father knew how much Val loved horses (and Junior himself doesn't much care for them), and wanted to make sure Dancer went to a good home.
• Wedding Finale: The series' Grand Finale in book 12 sees Doc and Mrs. Sparks marrying, holding a small ceremony in the Taylor family living room (despite the efforts of the mayor, who wants to turn the entire thing into a big to-do because of Doc being one of the family's most respected citizens) and the reception at Miss Maggie Rafferty's estate.
• We Named the Monkey "Jack": A friendly version with two of Harvey (a female rabbit)'s babies, who are named for people that their owner Jake knows — Doc and Valentine (the last was Jake's brother Toby's idea), as seen in book 2.
• Wicked Weasel: Mrs. Racer firmly believes in this trope and extends it to Frank the ferret, whom she mistakes for a weasel, in book 2.
• Your Tomcat Is Pregnant: In book 1, Val meets Toby Curran when he brings Harvey, his little brother Jake's rabbit, to Animal Inn, thinking he's sick — he hasn't been eating right (but is looking pretty fat), and has started pulling out his fur. Val, hearing the symptoms, deduces that Harvey is in fact a pregnant doe, something her father confirms, and the rabbit gives birth to a litter of six late in the book.