Marley & Me
If human beings find the moral fabric of their lives through example, then loveable Labrador Retriever Marley, is The Great Teacher. Although Michigan-born author, John Grogan’s journalistic career in newspapers and magazines provided him with countless stories and opportunities to experience life and all its lessons, the most important lessons seem to come from a dog he acquired “for a bargain” during the first year of his marriage. Through Marley, Grogan and his wife, Jenny, learn to navigate through the freedom and independence of newly-wed life to the deeper side of love—through compromise and acceptance, in good times and in bad.
As Grogan and Jenny move through life’s challenges (changing jobs, relocating, conceiving a child, miscarriage, post partum depression and illness), Marley faithfully moves with them. When their hearts break after a miscarriage, Marley’s head hangs in sympathy. And when they discover they’ve conceived again, it is Marley who steals the pregnancy test results then gives himself away by dancing his signature “Marley Mambo”— tail-wagging so vigorously it shakes his entire back half!
“I have this theory…that people can learn a lot from their dogs. Lessons on how to lead happier, more fulfilling lives. Lessons for successful relationships. Think about it. Many of the qualities that come so effortlessly to dogs—loyalty, devotion, selflessness, unflagging optimism, unqualified love—can be elusive to humans.” -John Grogan, Author of Marley & Me
In no way, however, is Marley the perfect dog. An obedience school reject, his dirty deeds test the couple’s patience and good will as much as his unconditional love teaches them! Although totally without malice, Marley is, as Grogan describes him, “the world’s worst dog”! So bad, that the obedience class instructor, whom Grogan refers to as Miss Dominatrix, uses Marley as an example of “what not to do” before expelling him. He is neurotic, with a fear of thunder so intense that the vet describes him as mentally ill and prescribes doggie Xanax to keep him from hurting himself during storms when he plows through drywall and chews off doorknobs in the Grogan household. He shreds screen doors, gouges couches, and ingests fine jewelry.
And Marley is social, if not socially skilled, as the Grogan’s horrified neighbors witness one sunny afternoon as the 97-pound wrecking ball drags a food-laden restaurant table half a mile down a crowded Florida beach to his canine friends.
The dog brazenly goes after what he wants in the name of fun, (nearly ousting himself from the Grogan family in the process), forcing the couple to redefine their idea of a “loveable” dog. This redefined idea of what it means to love and be loveable is the messageMarley & Medrives home. Marley is easy to love, not because he’s cute and entertains, but because his misdeeds and weaknesses make the end result of loving him so sweet—because they become better people.
Marley & Me is now a major motion picture, scheduled to be in theaters on December 23, 2008.
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Book Review: Redemption
Redemption, The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America, by Nathan Winograd, is a powerful, inspirational book that is a must read for any animal lover. The basic premise of the book is that the notion of Pet Overpopulation is indeed a myth. The reason that approximately 5 million companion animals are dying in animal shelters each year across our country is not due to pet overpopulation, but rather because shelter leadership is failing to implement the programs and services that are necessary to save these lives.
The book begins with a comprehensive review of the history of the humane movement in the United States, starting with the founding of the first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the American SPCA, or ASPCA, in New York City in 1866 by Henry Bergh.
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