The Last Dog on Earth (24 page)
Read The Last Dog on Earth Online
Authors: Daniel Ehrenhaft
Logan folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. A tear fell from his cheek and splashed on the paper.
There's no quick fix.
No, there never was. Dad had been right in the car that day: life wasn't stable. It was about as far from stable as you could get. Life was a rickety old spaceship in the middle of a meteor storm, bouncing around and getting smashed and making you feel like you were going to puke, and you just had to hold onto your fellow astronauts and try to make it through, because that was the only choice you had.
Which meant that maybe trying was enough. Or not.
But in the end, trying was really all you could ask a person to do.
O
CTOBER 5
Article published on page 1 of
The Redmont
Daily Standard
,
October 5
“JACK” LAID TO REST
CANINE RESPONSIBLE FOR POS CURE
BURIED AT HER HOME
B
Y
S
HEILA
D
AVIS
NEWBURG, OR, October 5—Jack, the only dog ever proven to be immune to POS (psychotic outburst syndrome), whose cell tissue was used in the recent development of an experimental POS antidote and vaccine, died Thursday night at a CDC research facility in Portland. She was approximately a year old.
Jack became internationally famous in the wake of the POS epidemic after it was discovered she could not be infected with the disease.
A wild mix of a variety of dog breeds, Jack was picked up by the ASPCA in June of this year, wandering on Route 78 just outside of Newburg. She was brought to the Newburg animal shelter.
“To be honest, we didn't think we'd ever find a home for her,” Ruth Dougherty, the director of the shelter, stated. “She was just too wild. And not friendly at all.”
Fourteen-year-old Logan Moore, however, apparently saw past her less than desirable personality traits. He insisted on adopting her, in spite of warnings from Ms. Dougherty and other employees of the shelter.
“It was pretty amazing to see them together,” Logan's mother, Marianne Moore, said in a recent interview. “Jack
didn't seem to like most people, but she and Logan had an instant rapport.”
Jack's immunity was established after she was bitten by a dog with POS in the Cascade Mountains. During the same period, Jack was apparently attacked and beaten by a person or persons unknown. After the beating, Logan brought her to his father, Dr. Craig Westerly, an epidemiologist who specializes in prion diseases. Recognizing her immunity, Dr. Westerly brought Jack to Portland University for medical attention and further study. There, however, her story almost ended when she was shot at by Rudolph Stagg, a home security consultant and self-proclaimed dog killer from Redmont, Oregon.
According to witnesses, Mr. Stagg burst into the office of Dr. Harold Marks and fired at Jack with a Colt .357 Magnum. In a dramatic display of bravery, Logan Moore dove in front of the bullet in order to protect his dog. The bullet punctured his left lung and left him in a coma for twenty-one days.
Mr. Stagg, who had been wanted by the FBI in connection with the formation of armed vigilante groups aimed at killing dogs infected with POS, was apprehended seconds after the shooting. He died five days later, on August 2, as a result of POS.
As a result of her injuries, Jack slipped into an irreversible coma on August 1. She remained on life support until her death. But scientists were able to extract cells from her healthy tissue and clone them in an effort to develop an antidote and vaccine for POS.
According to Dr. Westerly, though, the doctors kept Jack alive for two months not for scientific reasons, but because of a promise Dr. Westerly had made to his son.
“I told Logan that we would keep her alive until he was well enough to come visit her and say good-bye to her properly.”
Logan was at her side when she expired.
On Friday, October 2, the CDC announced that prototypes of both a vaccine and an antidote had been successfully tested.
“The medicine has already proved to be extraordinarily effective,” the statement read. “We hope it will be quickly approved by the FDA so that it can be made available to the general public.”
As a direct result of the promising news, the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington have begun the withdrawal of the National Guard from major cities on the West Coast. All three thanked Jack and Logan in separate statements.
“I think we can all learn something from the sacrifice my son made,” Dr. Westerly said in a statement yesterday before departing for Newburg to attend Jack's funeral. “Thanks to him, we can look forward to the future—a future when we can once again own and love and care for dogs without fear. He's a true hero. As is Jack. We will never forget her.”
When asked for a comment, Logan said, “I'll never forget her, either.” After a pause, he added, “I don't think I'm a hero. If I'm a hero, then we're all in trouble.” He declined to comment further.
Jack was honored in a private ceremony by the Moore family and Dr. Westerly.
Published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children's Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Copyright © 2003 by 17th Street Productions, an Alloy company
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address 17th Street Productions, an Alloy company.
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eISBN: 978-0-307-48696-7
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