Almost his entire life, James Lucas was kicked, spit on and had cow dung thrown at him. And he loved every minute of it.

He loved it because it was his job.

Lucas recently retired from the veterinary field after over 30 years of practice. After graduating as a doctor of veterinary medicine from Iowa State in 1963, Lucas kept his promise of returning to provide service for the people and animals in his hometown of Bedford.

Now, Lucas has published “Birth in a Chicken House,” detailing the humorous day-to-day events of a small-town veterinary practice.

“My first intention was to write something for my kids and grandkids, telling them what I did everyday,” Lucas says.

But when good feedback came from other people, he decided to publish the book.

Throughout his years of service to Bedford, Lucas had his share of laughable moments. Once, he had to put an eager poodle named Pierre to sleep because of his vicious affection for, well, legs.

Lucas has been and continues to be a mentor to many. At the age of 50, he shared office space with a new vet named Greg Young. Now an experienced vet, Young enjoyed his share of embarrassing learning experiences detailed in “Birth.”

Lucas himself admits that he has inspired many to go to vet school and follow in the footsteps of his profession. And the only advice he has to give to possible future vets is “Go for it!”

“There are so many opportunities out there for vets not related to the way I practiced,” Lucas says.

Before he started inspiring others, he was taught the ropes by local veterinarian Doc Anderson. Lucas worked with him even before he was old enough to attend college and many of the stories in “Birth” include the adventures of Doc.

Lucas credits Anderson with “allowing me to do the things I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do” and says that in the veterinary field, personal experience can’t be beat. A lot of procedures are done on paper during college, but actual hands-on procedures sometimes cannot be done until after graduation.

Now Lucas plans to travel and promote the book at bookstores in the area. Appearances are planned in the near future for Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Des Moines.

Word of mouth is already branching out the book beyond Iowa’s borders and local feedback has been so impressive that Lucas hopes to write a sequel sometime in the future.

“I’m elated with how many people are telling other people,” he says. The response Lucas hears the most is that people “laughed till they cried.”