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.

"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)"

Jessica Pierce is a bioethicist and coauthor of Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals.