
The Last Walk
Reflections on Our Pets at the End of Their Lives
Jessica Pierce(Author)
University of Chicago Press
Published on 4. April 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-226-15100-7 (ISBN)
Description
From the moment we first open our homes - and our hearts - to a new pet, we know that one day we will have to watch this beloved animal age and die. The pain of that eventual separation is the cruel corollary to the love we share with them, and most of us deal with it by simply ignoring its inevitability. With The Last Walk, Jessica Pierce makes a forceful case that our pets, and the love we bear them, deserve better. Drawing on the moving story of the last year of the life of her own treasured dog, Ody, she presents an in-depth exploration of the practical, medical, and moral issues that trouble pet owners confronted with the decline and death of their companion animals. The Last Walk asks - and answers - the toughest questions pet owners face. The result is informative, moving, and consoling in equal parts; no pet lover should miss it.
Reviews / Votes
"Pierce has made an important contribution to the small body of literature dealing with aging and death in companion animals.... It should be required reading for every pet owner. Readers will identify with Pierce's feelings of ambivalence and see something of their own pets as they read about Ody's antics and challenges. Recommended." (Library Journal) "The best nature book this year (and also the best dog book) is immeasurably also the saddest.... This great little book is not a happy reading experience-but for dog people, it'll be a massively cathartic one." (Open Letters Monthly) "A book that all loving pet owners should read. Nothing will make the prospect of ending a good friend's life any easier, but at least it can help those awful decisions feel less of a stab in the dark." (New Scientist)"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
372 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-15100-7 (9780226151007)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
03/2020
University of Chicago Press
€18.18
Available for download
Person
Jessica Pierce is a bioethicist and coauthor of Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals.
Author
Center for Bioethics and Humanities, University of Colorado Denver, Anchutz Medical Campus in Denver, Colorado, USA