Dog lovers: read "Marley and Me"

[ByronsMum]

I just finished reading the book MARLEY AND ME by John Grogan and all I have to say is WOW. It is an amazing book about "life with the world's worst dog".

Do yourself a favour and read it. It is funny, witty, sometimes sad, but forever a page turner. A truly inspiring book that makes you smile and realize that we could all take a little advice from our dogs and "live life to the fullest".

[TMac]

I've read it. It was a little weird for me because it felt like the author was living at our house!!! One of the best books I have ever read, for sure!

[Hunter's_owner]

So glad you guys recommended it. I saw it in the book store last week, and I was asking everyone I knew if they heard of it, but no one had. So I was going to wait a while before getting it. Now that it has been recommended by fellow dog owners, I can't wait to start reading it myself.

[phoenix]

Be warned: Have lots of kleenex on hand. LOTS. I've never sobbed so much reading a book before.

[joeysmama]

I loved this book, but Phoenix is right. Don't attempt it without a full box of tissues. I think I might recomend it for our November book club.

[Staciewells1]

I think I might have read a different book. There were parts that I liked, but I just didn't like the author as a person. He kept bringing up the fact that Marley was "just a dog". And, near the end, when they went on vacation and left him in a kennel even though he was old and sick, I almost stopped reading it.
Don't get me wrong, I thought some of it was cute. I just thought that a book like this would be targeted toward dog lovers, and dog lovers never have to downplay dog-love!

[Hunter's_owner]

So is it really that sad????
I may have to reconsider reading it then

[les]

Staciewells1 - I totally agree with you. I HATED that book.

Basically, I found it about an owner who really didn't care much about his dog. He didn't care enough to bother to train it - he just made alot of excuses about it. Reminds me of people who have a dog and don't exercise it and are then surprised and upset that he's too wild in the house.

Thumbs down from me about that book.

[phoenix]

I partly agree. I didn't find myself liking the author either.

But I liked the dog

I thought that the things that Marley did were not "worst dog in the world" stuff, but pretty typical (except the storm anxiety part).

I was mad they went on vacation too. However I do know that MOST people don't feel about animals they way we do here on pets.ca, and that the author probably represents most people's attitudes to their pets. He was a pretty ineffectual owner/guardian/daddy to Marley IMO...

[TMac]

I just loved the dog! I didn't really analyze the owners actions since I was laughing too hard about Marley's silliness.

Yes - the last chapter is sad, so if you aren't wanting to use up a whole kleenex box, then skip the last chapter.

[chocolatecoffee]

Originally Posted by les

Staciewells1 - I totally agree with you. I HATED that book.

Basically, I found it about an owner who really didn't care much about his dog. He didn't care enough to bother to train it - he just made alot of excuses about it. Reminds me of people who have a dog and don't exercise it and are then surprised and upset that he's too wild in the house.

Thumbs down from me about that book.

Agreed. I couldn't believe when they left Marley in a kennel when he was sick, throughout the book it didn't seem like they really cared about him as much as I'd thought. I did find it well-written, but I wasn't terribly thrilled about the content, especially after all the good reviews I had read about it.

[LynLyn]

I liked the book, Marley was hilarious! As for the owner, he DID love the dog so much and never gave him up. He had the dog until the end of Marley's life, and Marley seemed happy, he may not have been the best owner on earth, but Marely didn't end up at the pound like some other dogs without the best owner's on earth.

[Zloca19]

Originally Posted by chocolatecoffee

Agreed. I couldn't believe when they left Marley in a kennel when he was sick, throughout the book it didn't seem like they really cared about him as much as I'd thought. I did find it well-written, but I wasn't terribly thrilled about the content, especially after all the good reviews I had read about it.

i agree that i disagreed with marley's owner on a number of occasions but it didnt take away from marley's antics to me, simply because i know quite a few lab owners who made the effort that marley's owner didnt (and who would never leave their animals alone when they're sick) who still ended up with a "wild strain of lab". it's amusing to see all of their antics combined into one dog!

and i agree with whoever said that not all dog owners feel the same about their pets as we do on here.. a lot of people love their pets but see them as something less than us. its sad but true. my father is one of them, and watching him and my dog has lead me to believe that part of the problem is that the dog has basically trained my father - which my father realizes but doesnt want to put forth the effort to change, so he "puts things back in order" by stating "i'm not spending that much on a dog!" "he's just a dog!" etc.

[ByronsMum]

Originally Posted by Hunter's_owner

So is it really that sad????
I may have to reconsider reading it then

Hunter's_owner, you should absolutely read it!!! It certainly is sad at the end, but still...an amazing read. And although some members may think that the author just didnt put in any effort into training Marley, I never doubted his (and his family's) love for the dog.

[Hunter's_owner]

Thanks Byron'sMum. I think I will. I read the caption, and glanced through the book, and I laughed because a lot of what the dog did reminded me of Hunter when he was a puppy. Maybe its a lab thing, lol .

[susieqt]

I just finished reading the book; I really, really enjoyed it! It wasn't sad until the last chapter, as Marley grew older. I think the author did I perfect job of describing his dog, you can see that he really loved him.
Regarding him not "training" Marley properly, I think he did what he could. I had a dog like Marley once, and she wasn't very trainable, either.