Marley and Me

Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

Marley grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, and stole women's undergarments. Obedience school did no good -- Marley was expelled.

But just as Marley joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley remained a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

Marley & Me is John Grogan's funny, unforgettable tribute to this wonderful, wildly neurotic Lab and the meaning he brought to their lives.

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Last night I finished Marley and Me, a story about a lovable, sweet, but terribly misbehaved Labrador Retriever. I adored this book. Not only was it well written, but it also pulled at my heartstrings in a very different way. As a dog lover and owner myself, I empathized strongly with the author/main character's feelings about his dog and the struggles he dealt with. I appreciated the authors candidness (is that a word?) and ability to capture the reader in his vivid descriptions of each trial he went through and then in the end his realization of how much the dog not only needed him, but how much he needed the dog. After reading this book, I appreciate my dogs so much more. Although, at times I want to scream (especially Riley with her crazy antics) I realize that these two dogs in our own household mean the world to us and have blessed us in so many ways.