27. Marley and Me

Book 27: Marley & Me by John Grogan (A)

Grogan and Marley

This is the second time I've read this delightful book, but this time I read its pages out loud to Stuart before we went to sleep nearly every night. Stuart and I desperately want a dog! However, a dog is a huge responsibility compared to a small hamster that lives in a cage and an independent cat. Add to the fact that Stuart's apartment doesn't allow pets and we soon won't be living in the same city again... getting a dog wouldn't be enjoyable or a shared experience.So, I decided to read this book about a loveable, wild, catastrophic, unpredictable Labrador retriever named Marley to let us know what we'll be getting into in the future.
The last three chapters were heartbreaking. Just like Enzo in The Art of Racing in the Rain, Marley passes away to doggy heaven. It is a long drawn out process from the common lab trait of hip dysplasia and the inability to let go for the family. Stuart and/or I cried every night until the end of the book when Marley has been put to rest between two cherry trees in Pennsylvania and the family moves on to a life without the dog. The most heartbreaking of all is when the three Grogan kids say their goodbye with letters and pictures to put into Marley's grave. I had trouble reading through that part!

Christmas morning 2008

It makes me think of all the time, effort, money, and love I have put in and given to Sparta. My mom found him under a car at a gas station late one night with the intention of giving him a warm place to sleep for the night. Instead, he became the newest and craziest pet of the family. As Piddy Paws continued to not use the litter box, I decided Sparta was the pet take with me to Cullowhee. Since then, he has been my constant companion. Though not nearly as loyal or as dependable as a dog, Sparta is one of a kind and I know he loves me as much as I love him. I hope at the end of his life I get a moment like this with him so I can say good bye:
"Tomorrow the house would be loud and boisterous and full of life again. For tonight, it was just us two, Marley and me. Lying there with him, his smelly breath in my face, I couldn't help thinking of our first night together all those years ago after I brought him home from the breeder, a tiny puppy whimpering for his mother. I remembered how I dragged his box into the bedroom and the way we had fallen asleep together, my arm dangling over the side of the bed to comfort him. Thirteen years later, here we were, still inseparable" (256).
A book that will move you, make you cry, make you laugh, and remember the little things in life. But most of all, Marley & Me will make you cherish and think of your pets in a whole new light!

Works Cited:

Grogan, John. Marley and Me. New York: HarperCollins 

Publishers, 2005. Print.