Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

This is not such a horrible book, as many would like you to believe. Sure, it isn't a jaw-dropping epic or an amazingly sappy story, but it is a good read that you can enjoy.I think I feel bad for the people who criticize John and his wife for how they treated Marley. First, it wasn't that horrible. In fact, Marley had it pretty good. A lot of people are failing to place the story in its proper time frame. Marley was born in the early 1990s--a time when positive training, counter conditioning, and clicker training were just beginning to take root and was not easily available to the public. Most people never even heard of such things---even very good vets. Dominance and Alpha theory were the rule of the day, and the choker chain was a common accessory for most dogs. I recall my own dog wearing one of those things, though I was a timid person who hated them and never actually used them.True, that didn't excuse several things that Mr. Grogan thought or did. He wasn't the best person in the world...but then again, he didn't hide it either. I give him brownie points for that. Most people try to make themselves seem better than they were, but the author laid himself out pretty honestly. How many people would write down that they actually found a sadistic pleasure in choking their dog during training class? He even put it in a negative light, showing that he was well aware that this was not a good thing. But anyone who has had a problem dog understands this feeling. It happens--frustration, anger, uncertainty can build up like that.A lot of people condemn the title of the book: Life and Love with the world's Worst dog. Hyperbole is often frowned upon, true, however---he addresses this at the end. Again, he brings to light something anyone with a problem of any kind knows: that feeling of being the only one. He even foreshadowed this when he described his first dog training class. All the other dogs were well mannered and lined up exactly as they should, while Marley ran rampant and drooled over everything. For years, he never met or knew of any dogs that behaved like Marley: until he wrote Marley's life down. Then he realized that he wasn't alone, that he didn't have the *worst* dog.While he jokingly refers to the Bad Dog Club and all its members, he also writes a very telling line: "My new friends in the Secret Brotherhood of Dysfunctional Dog Owners." It is a subtle admittance that he now realizes that, yes, he was not the best of owners and he failed on many accounts--some of which he had no way of really dealing with at the time.John Grogan did everything he could with the tools he had. I dislike his seeking the cheapest, shadiest dog training school (parking lot?) but I honestly don't recall dog training classes being anything more than in someone's house or rented community center at the time (I was a teen then, and didn't look so I can't say for sure).I'm divided on his ill-timed vacation, too. I mean, there was no way he could have predicted what would happen. Even the vet didn't know when or where, only that it was a possibility. He made sure to put Marley in the best care with the people that loved him and wanted the best for him, and when he came back: the dog was mostly fine! Most likely, it was the excitement of seeing his family again that did it, but who knows? Having lost a few pets of my own over my lifetime, and knowing that our own lifes go on, I can't really condemn him for it or blast him for such a horrible choice because...he really couldn't have known. It was very possible that Marley would have gone on for another couple of years, or would have passed at any moment.What stands out in this book is that John Grogan truly loved Marley. His family really cared for him, and they did the best they could. I think the reason why this book is so popular is because it resonates with the average person: the ones who don't or didn't know that they could have helped their dog overcome their phobia, could have taught him to properly direct his energy--that it was possible to have the "good dog" he wanted with a lot of hard work. At the time, there was no "hard work" only sighs of "too bad." I think he knows better now, at least I hope he does. By the time he wrote this book and published it, all the information he could have used began to be more widely available. Perhaps he regrets what he didn't know, or maybe he uses these things with his new dog.This isn't really a book about what not to do. It is more a book about what used to be. In that respect, it is actually pretty accurate.

John Grogan has captured, in great writing sans big words, a believable story of "the worst dog". Ironically, I bought and had started reading his book because I had a not too well behaved, registered, purebred, standard-sized black dachshund, male, 8 years old. His name was Oscar and he was half of my pair of dachshunds, Oscar and Felix, the odd couple, Felix being a red Doxie.They were good buddies but Felix is mellow and afraid of his own shadow. Not so Oscar. He was very aggressive and stubborn, pretty much untrainable, for the 6 years, plus, that I had him. I tried patience, mild discipline, harsh discipline, short duration punishments, etc. Like John Grogan, I fell in love with both of my dogs in spite of big problems with Oscar's behavior.I could not walk "the boys". Oscar wanted to fight any dog, regardless of size, any bike, car, child, old person or heaven help us if a rabbit, quail or squirrel appeared. Oscar nearly jerked my arm out of the socket many times as, when we walked, I kept him on a leash, trying to protect him, myself and his intended victims from a vicious, snapping, snarling, bared teeth attack.He was bad in other ways, too, but this is supposed to be a review of John Grogan's book. All I can say is that it will be one book that will live with me for a very long time. About 2 to 4 days after I began reading this book, and enjoying every story, my dog, Oscar slipped a disk in his lower back, totally paralyzing both hind legs. Not an uncommon happening for long-bodied, short-leggged dachshunds, but very serious.To be brief about it, the surgery, which is not guaranteed, was priced far out of my pensioners budget. And, I felt I would be putting Oscar thru a lot of suffering. At 8 years old, he may or may not have tolerated the surgery. Being such a pail of worms, keeping him quiet post surgery would have been a nightmare for him and for me.The alternative of course was the same decision that John Grogan eventually faced with Marley - a rather abrupt need to make a hard decision.Oscar was put to sleep and cremated February 10, 2006 so the sorrow is still very much with me (and with Felix who was Oscar's life-long buddy). Reading the stories of John, his wife, Jenny and Marley, and the family children somehow helped me thru these past couple of weeks. Tears have not entirely dried and Felix still pokes around the house with his nose, obviously wondering where his canine pal has gone.If the reader is not a serious dog lover, this story won't mean as much to them as it means to me and as it will mean to any pet owner who has been there with his animal friend at the end of the day. A tear jerker, at the end of the story, but Marely is an treasure trove of hilarious adventures of exactly what can and will go wrong with a "bad" dog. Hilarious, that is, if it's someone else's dog.The author, John Grogan must be a totally wonderful, caring and understanding man or he could never have put up with Marley's truly awful behavior, not to mention his usually patient wife who took most of it in her stride, too.May the Grogan family enjoy their new golden lab, Gracie, as much as they did Marley and hopefully, with somewhat less struggle and strife.Embarrassments,there will always be. Non-dog lovers won't understand much of this book, but who cares?This lovingly, beautifully written book is a book to be read by anyone who has a dog to love.

The purchasing of this book was highly irregular for me as I HATE reading books. I’ve always struggled at picturing the story (regardless of how well it’s written) in my head and would often hope that the next page I turn is the end of the chapter so I could put it down and live to see another day! However, there was something about this book that really made me want to keep reading, and I often found myself staying up well past midnight, eagerly desperate to continue as far as I could!I have seen the film with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson many times and that may have helped me picture the story more easily.Until Marley & Me, I hadn’t read a book in more than 2 years - and that was only because I had to read it for an English exam.There’s always been something touching about the story, to me. It’s more than just Marley, it’s a sweet family story, that’s what I love about it.

I first heard of ‘Marley and Me’ when the film was released in 2008. Yet, despite ten intervening years, I still have not seen the film! So when I spotted the Kindle book on offer, I snapped it up as I always enjoy reading the book before any film adaptation.Being an animal lover and the owner of a boisterous collie cross, I fully expected to enjoy this book and thankfully, I was not disappointed! John Grogan tells the story of his family’s life with Marley with extreme honesty and self-deprecating humour. There are several genuine laugh out loud moments and others that would melt the coldest of hearts. I laughed and I cried reading this wonderful tribute to Marley who brought such joy into his human family’s life!Quote - ' Dogs are the wonders of life and add so much to ours.' Amen to that.

This is an amazing book,The language in this book was spot on, it was easy to read and was extremely intriguing. The story itself made me realise how much I love my dog, who is turning 9 this year. From the start of the book you coud tell the book would be great. Marley and me made me laugh but boy did it make me cry. The book was relatable and made you feel as though you knew Marley as your own dog. By the end of the book Marley was a part of your family as well as author John Grogan. Words cannot express how much I love this book. It was a lovely mix of Mareley's life, but at the same time the Grogan family's life.This is probably the best book I have ever read, reason beimg it was beautifully written and was most intriguing.Recommend for age 13+

I watched the film based on the book first and was wonderfully surprised at how close to the book the film was. A great story of a unique dog who was a dear member of the family. I cried at the end of the book as well as when I watched the film...the author truly loved his best friend and this book is a beautiful memoir of this wonderful dog including his faults! Which actually made me love him even more!I have three cats each with their own personality none could ever be placed with another family...they are such a big part of ours! Each cat has their faults, quirks and odd behaviour that made us fall in love with them from the beginning, I can understand how the author felt at the end...I was devastated when one of our cats died suddenly, but unfortunate society doesn't place any importance on the effect losing one of our friends has...maybe this book can explain it better?

Being an animal lover it was almost a given that I would love this book, and I have to say that I did. I found myself laughing out loud at the book and sympathising with the Grogans - the description of the scene at the outdoor cafe was so close to home!!If you are not an animal lover you will find the book amusing and enjoyable. If you do have pets then you will relate to every part of this book - to the bad behaviour, to the funny scenes and to the commitment that having a pet brings.As per the previous reviews, this book has a moving side. I do most of my reading on the train commuting to work - and when this book had me in tears it was slightly embarassing!!Definitely worth reading, thoroughly enjoyable, and will touch the deepest buried of the darkest hearts. Recommended with 5 stars!!