The Last Dog on Earth

infobox Book |
name = The Last Dog on Earth
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Daniel Ehrenhaft (pen name Daniel Parker)
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Adventure novel
publisher = Yearling
release_date = 2004
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 240 pages
isbn = ISBN 0440419506
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Last Dog on Earth" is a book written by Daniel Ehrenhaft under the pen name Daniel Parker. It was first published in 2003 by Random House, but then republished by the company Yearling in 2004. [cite web |url=http://www.amazon.com/Last-Dog-Earth-Daniel-Ehrenhaft/dp/0440419506|title=Last Dog on Earth|publisher=Amazon|accessdate=2008-04-14 |language=English ]

"The Last Dog on Earth"'s main focus is about a fourteen year-old boy, Logan, who gets a female dog from a shelter, who he names Jack. At the time, an incurable disease, known as POS (Psychotic Outbreak Syndrome,) is spreading. POS makes animals go crazy and attack anything, before they die. A cure cannot be found, but Logan's dog, Jack, is found to be immune to the disease.

Plot

The story starts off with Logan Moore, his stepfather Robert, and his mother Marianne arguing over small family things whilst driving towards a barbecue party.

With the help of his newest invention, the LMMRC (Logan Moore Master Remote Control), Logan crashes the Wallaces' Summer Kickoff Party (a well known party Logan's neighbors the Wallaces throw each summer), by turning up the their stereo to the maximum volume (with his remote), and then is unable to turn it back down or shut it off. Robert was not too pleased when he found out what Logan had done.

To teach him a lesson in responsibility, his stepfather sets up to give Logan a purebred Labrador Retriever, which will be named after his stepfather's old dog. To go against him, Logan decides to get an ugly mutt from a pound. The dog he decides to choose only seems to get along with him, and he names it Jack, to please his stepfather somehow, even though the dog is female. Logan bonds quickly with Jack, and when he tries to defend Jack from a dog infected with POS to go to Blue Mountain Camp for Boys, a boot camp, he is horrified that he must leave Jack alone. Jack escapes to find Logan, and Logan escapes boot camp. Logan and Jack meet up, and at one time, Logan ties up Jack while he goes off. By the time he returns, Jack has been clubbed nearly to death. Logan then picks up Jack and walks on and on, until he eventually faints from exhaustion. When he wakes up, he is surprised to find himself in the house of his real father, Dr. Craig Westerly, a scientist who worked at Portland University. He is scared for Jack's life, because he can't take her to a vet because of the POS outbreak, and that Jack might be infested with it.

In the end, Jack is too beat up to be saved. Rudy Stagg, a man infected by POS walks into Dr. Marks office, where Jack, Logan, and Dr. Westerly are, and tries to shoot Jack with a .357 Colt Magnum. Right before hitting Jack, Logan dives on top of her and gets hit by the bullet. A lung of his collapses, causing him to fall into a three week coma. When he awakes, he finds out that Jack is at a research facility at the Portland University with his father and Jack has to be put to sleep. Griefstriken, Logan gets to say a final goodbye before she is hooked off of life support. Because of Jack's immunity to POS, it was possible to create a vaccine and an antidote to cure other dogs infected with POS. Logan and Jack's adventure, in the end, helped Logan be on better terms with his stepfather, himself, and people around him.

Characters

Logan Moore is a troubled, 14 year old boy. He has no real friends, and he doesn't get along well with his stepfather, Robert. His mother won't stand up for him at all, and always takes the side of his stepfather. He also feels an extra amount of sadness because his real father left the family seven years ago. Logan spends his free time inventing various contraptions. His parents are Robert and Marianne Moore.

Jack is a female mutt from a pound. They found her on route 78. Her Pack was wiped out by POS. She is immune to POS, which later helps make a vaccine for the deadly disease. She dies when she is taken off life support at a research facility, after being attacked by another dog that was infected with POS and nearly beaten to death by a group of 3 men determined to eliminate dogs in case of POS.

Robert Moore is the rude, arrogant, and short-tempered stepfather of Logan Moore. He frustrates Logan with his acts of superiority, and believes everything must be done his way.

Devon Wallace is a 14 year old and Logan's childhood rival. With the perfect rich family, a trained dog, and a high reputation, he also shows acts of superiority towards other teenagers his age.

Craig Westerly Is a former Portland University scientist and father of Logan. He left the Moore family 7 years ago, after he was fired from his job. He is the one who discovers that Jack is immune.

Rudolph Stagg (also known as Rudy Stagg) is a member of a vigilante dog group. He was a home security consultant. Near the end he was bitten by a dog infected with P.O.S. Logan and Jack encounter Rudy in the university. He shoots jack, but it hits Logan instead. He dies of P.O.S five days later.

Reception

"The Last Dog on Earth" has received generally positive reviews from Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews [cite web |url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Last-Dog-on-Earth/Daniel-Ehrenhaft/e/9780440419501/|title=The Last Dog on Earth at Barnes & Noble|publisher=Barnes & Noble|accessdate=2008-04-14 |language=English ] . The book also was the winner of the 2004 Texas Lone Star Reading List [cite web |url=http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440419501|title=The Last Dog on Earth (Teachers Catalogue)|publisher=Teachers@Random|accessdate=2008-04-15 |language=English ] [cite web |url=http://www.txla.org/groups/yart/0405lone.html|title=The Last Dog on Earth (Lone Star Reading List)|publisher=Texas Library Association|accessdate=2008-04-15 |language=English ] .

References

External links

* http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440419501