Don't Look in the Freezer

“… Eddington’s memoir succeeds in both style and substance … [she] doesn’t sentimentalize veterinary work or dwell too long on its downsides, preferring instead to capture its grit with affection and honesty.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Patti Eddington’s moving memoir about the unsung heroes who love and care for our beloved pets—the vets, their staff, and those who love and care for them—will make you laugh, cry, and hug your best friend. Beautiful, funny, and life-affirming.”—Wade Rouse, USA Today best-selling author of Thank You for Being A Friend

“This book is a healthy combination of humor, strangeness, medical insight, and compassion for animals and people alike. The stories that Eddington chronicles introduce pets that will stick in readers’ minds long after the book is finished, and her own character—determined, witty, empathic—shines through each tale.”—The BookLife Prize

“… sparkles with wit and heart … an amusing and poignant read that renews belief in the goodness of humanity.”—BookLife Reviews, Editor’s Pick

“Threats to drop off hundreds of pigs at 3:00 a.m., a pistol-packing owner promising to shoot if his itchy pup isn’t helped, a woman demanding her dog be defrosted. Humorous and heartfelt, Patti Eddington regales readers about life as the wife of a small-town vet with pitch-perfect tone that is equal parts Hallmark and second martini.”—Bridey Thelen-Heidel, author of Bright Eyes: Surviving Our Monsters and Learning to Live without Them – A Memoir

“Brilliant, funny, touching, inspiring. If you love animals like I do, you will cherish this inside view into the life and times of one incredible veterinary family dedicated to loving and caring for our most precious beings. You will also definitely gift a copy—or twelve—to your pet’s veterinarian. Then you will hug and thank them.”—Karen Solt, author of Hiding for My Life: Being Gay in the Navy

“In Don’t Look in the Freezer, Eddington opens the door to the world behind the exam room. With humor and tenderness, she reveals the quiet devotion of vets and the love that flows between people and their pets. A true gem for animal lovers everywhere.”—Tracey Yokas, author of Bloodlines: A Memoir of Harm and Healing

“Warm, funny, and unexpectedly poignant, Don’t Look in the Freezer reveals the chaos of loving a veterinarian—from farm calls and exotic pets to a heroic goldfish surgery and bath-crashing chinchillas. Eddington blends humor and reflection into a moving portrait of marriage, resilience, and compassion built on a shared purpose.”—Linda K. Sienkiewicz, author of Love and Other Incurable Ailments

“A remarkable odyssey of a veterinarian and his bride, Don’t Look in the Freezer recounts the giggles and griefs in bringing a viable clinic to life. Eddington has penned a blue-ribbon memoir with nuanced prose and perfect doses of levity for animal enthusiasts and anyone appreciating bare-knuckled storytelling and a lyrical voice.”—Chad Broughman, author of The Fall of Bellwether

Patti Eddington married her veterinary student boyfriend, Jim, when they were in college. While she expected the focus of their life together to be on animals, she wasn’t prepared for quite as many shenanigans as she has experienced; her life has been incredibly happy, but probably not as glamorous as some might expect. Today, the Mid-Century Modern design enthusiast, dance fitness instructor, and former journalist enjoys being dragged on walks by her ridiculous three-legged dog, David, and watching the sandhill cranes and bald eagles from her deck on a beautiful bayou in Spring Lake, Michigan.

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