Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs

"My efforts to find out exactly how harmful tennis balls might be to our dogs' health is an example of how very difficult it is for any of us to gauge the safety of the products our dogs use day in and day out." These are the lengths that Kerasote (Merle's Door) goes to in order to find out why dogs don't have a longer life span. Kerasote's quest developed after his favorite dog, Merle, a Golden Retriever much like his new dog, Pukka (pronounced PUCK-uh), gave in to the ravages of old age. Hundreds of fellow dog owners e-mailed him the same question: "Why do our dogs die so young?" Of course, no one truly knows the answer, but after Kerasote was fortunate enough to find Pukka as a puppy, he began studying everything he could get his hands on related to canine health and life span. The result is a moving account of one man's journey to understand man's best friend inside and out. Topics examined include the difference between traditional dog foods and a new, healthier wave of organic and raw-food meals, and the tumultuous years of a "teenage" dog. Kerasote's latest is heartbreaking, funny, and informative. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency. (Feb.)