Content Warning: This section of the guide describes and discusses the source text’s treatment of colonialist attitudes, which it portrays in a positive light, and its outdated and offensive depictions of Indigenous Africans, which rely on racist stereotypes.

Doctor John Dolittle, M.D., lives in the quaint town of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. Doctor Dolittle is well-known and respected in his town, and the townspeople admire him for his cleverness. He lives in a small house with a large garden, and his sister, Sarah Dolittle, serves as his housekeeper. Doctor Dolittle has a deep fondness for animals and keeps many pets including a cow, rabbits, a squirrel, white mice, and a hedgehog, among others. His favorite pets are Dab-Dab the duck, Jip the dog, Gub-Gub the pig, Polynesia the parrot, and Too-Too the owl. As Doctor Dolittle’s collection of animals grows, his house becomes increasingly untidy, leading to complaints from his sister and causing patients to stop visiting him. Thus, his reputation as a doctor suffers, and he becomes poorer as time goes on. Despite this, Doctor Dolittle remains devoted to his animals, even as his financial situation worsens. Eventually, he is left with only a few loyal clients, such as the Cat’s-Meat Man, as his funds dwindle.