Reviews
What an incredible book! Our Last Walk is a book I find I cannot put down. The captivation was not only because I had recently lost a “dog love of my life,” but, I found, these authors somehow knew me and my relationship with Taylor as if they had spent hours interviewing me. They know that remembering is the essential part of both grieving and healing and what better way to remember than to reach down into your deepest self and be creative. While most of us are certainly not poets, it is clear that does not matter. What does matter is that we own those key emotional words, thoughts, and expressions that are tied to our lost relationship. They are in us. The therapy comes when we invest the time to find them and make them sing what our soul is trying to say. We are the only ones that can tap those expressions and that kick starts healing. This expression starts something else also: our meager attempt at writing a poem about our incredible relationship ignites, enrichens, and somehow enlivens what we thought was gone. Those very words, from deep within us, are our undefinable connection with our sweet animal life that left us, holding only their collar, far too soon. There is no better way to grieve, heal, and honor their life. I cannot thank Drs. Louis Hoffman, Michael Moats, and Tom Greening, enough.
Jim Humphries, DVM
Veterinarian, Home with Dignity
Our Last Walk is a collection of poems that tells the story of the unconditional love and companionship our pets offer. It also shares the depth of the love and the grief that emerges for family members when a pet is suffering. Take a moment to sit down and read these heart-opening poems. This poetry reveals the soul connection between people and the pets that become family members.
Terri Goslin-Jones, PhD
Creativity Studies Specialization Lead and Faculty
Saybrook University
Our Last Walk will strengthen those struggling with the death of a beloved pet, in original verse written by those who truly understand what it means to love, grieve, and honor the lives of our animal companions. The poems in these pages are thoughtful, heartfelt tributes to the creatures whose days are always too brief but so beautiful in passing.
Gary Kowalski
Author, Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet & The Soul of Animals
This remarkable treasury gives words to the unspeakable grief and pain that so many of us feel when a beloved animal companion dies. It celebrates the special bonds we share with these wondrous loved ones. These poets give us the comfort of knowing that others understand what we are going through when we risk opening ourselves up to loving these fellow creatures and enduring the unendurable pain of losing them.
Kenneth S. Pope, PhD, ABPP
Co-author of Ethics in Psychotherapy & Counseling, A Practical Guide (5th ed.) and
How to Survive and Thrive as a Therapist: Information, Ideas, and Resources for Psychologists in Practice
As a veterinarian, I see pet owners dealing with grief daily. Saying goodbye to a pet never gets easier, whether it is your first or fifty-first experience. It is important to take care of our pets as they near the end of their lives, but we must take care of ourselves, too. As a pet owner, we may find ourselves dealing with the shock of a sudden passing or the heart heavy task of deciding if and when the tie to end suffering is upon us and our pet. Dealing with grief is personal, difficult, and unique for each of us. Poetry allows us to relate to others who have experienced the loss of a pet as well as a venue for you own self-expression and healing. Using poetry to honor a pet’s distinct personality not only serves as a tribute to our friends, but also as an avenue of healing and expression for ourselves. With the use of book, my wish for you, the reader, is to find a healthy venue for expression, peace in your heart, and satisfaction in knowing that you made a huge difference in the life of an animal.
Sean E. Snyder, DVM
Veterinarian, Parkway Veterinary Clinic
Paperback 240 pages
Published October 31, 2016
ISBN (print): 978-1-939686-15-2
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-939686-35-0
Acknowledgments
Preface by David N. Elkins
Introduction by Louis Hoffman, Michael Moats, & Tom Greening
Poems
Dante’s Last Days – Louis Hoffman
Stopping – Tom Greening
Melting Snow – Michael Moats
For My Jenny – Marilyn Zelke-Windau
CeCe – Joy Hoffman
Her Fella – Carl “Papa” Palmer
A Soft, Yellow Prayer – Diana Norma Szokolyai
At the Baghdad Pet Market – Tom Greening
Drool – Kylee Cushman
He Got Loose – Richard Bargdill
Love’s Labor’s Lost or Why I Don’t Own Pets – Carolyn Martin
Making Iced Tea – Kim M. Baker
Prints – Susan Claire Glass
Scrappy Boy – J. Blair Cano
What Can I Say? – Robert Carroll
Guide Dogs – Tom Greening
Into the Motion of Other Things – Enid Shomer
Not the Last Goodbye – Dori Appel
Sonnet to a Dead Cat – Juleigh Howard-Hobson
Requiem for Golden Things – Mary Davies Cole
Don’t Forget – Robin Winter
After Sixteen Years – Steven K. Smith
Mortal Dogs – Tom Greening
…of being mother and of mothering – Betz King
You Are Not Here – Ken Wolman
All Things Blache: 24 Years of Infinity – Rozann Kraus
Alone in Grief – Betsy Snider
Surrender – Andrew Shattuck McBride
Caesar at 14 Years – Amy Miller
Memento Mori – Annie – Betsy Snider
I Didn’t Want to Write Today – Robert Carroll
Thomas – Sherri Wright
Teacher – Laura A. Gundy
Let Me Grieve – Veronica Lac
Delilah, When You Died – Ann Cefola
Old Dachshund – Tom Greening
My Cat’s Death Poem 9 – Joan Wiese Johannes
To Duke – Catherine A. MacKenzie
A Good Run – Emily Lasinsky
Grief – Tom Greening
Where is Your Frizzle-Bee? – Daniel Ari
Retriever – Barbara Crooker
For Rupert – Veronica Lac
Ashley at Eighteen – Dave Morehouse
For Her, With Gratitude – Elizabeth Kerlikowske
Goose Bumps – Ellaraine Lockie
Sunny – Nance L. Reynolds
All Because of Dryer Lint – Laurie Kolp
In Quest of Life – Mel Goldberg
Our Angel – Sofia L. Taylor
Spareribs in Heaven – Sheryl Clough
A Dog’s Life – Tom Greening
Shade – Tiel Aisha Ansari
Ready – Laura Gamble
Elegy for Keely – Joe Amaral
Kingpin – Sandy Stark
Epilogue – J. D. Smith
I Whispered Love – Patricia Frolander
She Took My Exclamation Point – Claire Vogel Camargo
Triptych of a Dog – Birch: Three Poems for Birch – Betsy Snider
Furry Feline, Furry Consciousness – Dakota Gundy
Astro – Marna Broekhoff
Bob – Tom Greening
Dog – Maura Snell
Just a Dog – Lisa Vallejos
At Polly’s Grave – Marilyn Flower
Artemis and Sophia at the Water’s Edge – Gina Belton
When Love Walked In On Four – Annette Hope Billings
Preparation – Joan Canby
Return Home – Sally Showalter
Driving Home After Putting Our Dog, Chester, To Sleep – Neil Carpathios
A Poem about a Dead Cat – Amy Durant
The Love of a Childless Mother – Veronica Lac
After Seventeen Years – Robin Michel
I Killed Amber Today – Jackie Peters
Dogs Try – Tom Greening
You Never Asked “Why?” – Michael Moats
Collections
Lessons on Grieving: Poems for Amaya – Louis Hoffman
Aging
I Had to Say Goodbye Tonight
Even into Death
A Year
A Visit
Something in Those Blue Eyes
Still Missing You
Distance Encounter
Reflections on Poems for Amaya
Shanthi Collection – Kristen Beau Howard
Dear Human, Come Play
Dear Shanthi, I Am Coming Out to Play
Reflections on Shanthi Poems
My One Constant: Poems for Jonathon – Lylanne Musselman
Unexpected Visitor
Teddy,
Sickly Fellow
Consolations After the Death of My Kitten
Reflections on My One Constant
Poems About Three Dogs – Christine Holland Cummings
Last Night, All Three Dogs
What Remains
12 Ways to Wipe Tears from Your Face
What I Miss
Reflections on Poems about Three Dogs
Poems for Spencer – Patrick S. Dixon
Falling
Driving with the Windows Down
How Do You Resuscitate a Dog?
Paws on Either Side of the Door
Early Morning
Reflections on the Spencer Poems
Poems for Ginger – Patrick S. Dixon
Ginger
Hurts So Good
Reflections on Ginger Poems
Closing Poem:
A Small Difference – Tom Greening
Poetry Activities for Remembering and Grieving Your Pet
About the Editors
Louis Hoffman, PhD, spent 19-years in full-time academia before deciding to leave to pursue writing, publishing, private practice, and teaching in more innovative and flexible contexts. He has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) as well as five divisions of APA (Divisions 1, 10, 32, 36, and 52) for his contributions to the field of psychology. An avid writer, Dr. Hoffman has published over 100 journal articles and books chapters as well as over 15 books. He is an avid dog lover, particularly the northern breeds. A collection of poems about his Siberian Husky, Amaya, are included in Our Last Walk and the cover to the book features one of the final walks he had with Dante, his Alaskan Malamute. He regularly integrates stories with his dogs to illustrate concepts when teaching and presenting. More information about Dr. Hoffman and his writing is available at his author page.
Michael Moats, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice that primarily works with military personnel and their families. His passion lies in working with clients who are learning to redefine their lives and create new meaning, especially those dealing with grief and loss in its many forms. Dr. Moats has two books to his credit and is working on a third, as well as numerous journal articles, poetry, and book chapters on various topics including existential psychology, multicultural issues in psychotherapy, international psychology, grief, and suicide. More information about Dr. Moats and his writing is available at his author webpage.
Tom Greening, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at Saybrook University and was the editor of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology for 35 years. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and recipient of the Distinguished Lifetime Contribution to Humanistic Psychology and the Thomas Szasz Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Cause of Civil Liberties. Dr. Greening is an avid poetry writer who has published three volumes of poetry through University Professors Press and continues to to be prolific in his poetry writing. Find out more about Dr. Greening and his writing at his author page.
