Can a dog, even a “bad” one, hold the secrets for human happiness and successful relationships?
Author John Grogan believes so and convincingly makes the case with humor and poignancy in MARLEY & ME: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog. Grogan, a metropolitan columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, and his wife, Jenny, were newlyweds when they brought home the irresistible yellow Labrador retriever puppy and named him after a mellow reggae star. But Marley soon would grow into a 97-pound powerhouse of nervous, pulsating intensity and mischief. He would change his owners’ lives forever. Marley, the incorrigible, excitable, destructive, and intensely loyal creature that graced the Grogan home for thirteen years, was not the mellow, well-behaved pet his owners had envisioned. His slobber was legendary, his manners appalling, and his fear of thunderstorms expensive. He decimated walls, screen doors, car upholstery, and dinner parties. He dreamed of poodles, garbage, and belly rubs. Even as the Grogans tried everything to mold him to their will, Marley, with his utter devotion an
