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

Ok, ugh. I'd seen the movie, and when I came across this book at a Little Free Library, I jumped at the chance to read it, because the books are usually better than the movies.

The author's wife decide that they need a dog to help them prepare for having a baby. That is a really shitty reason to buy a pet - a pet is not a toy or 'trainer'. So they go to some backyard breeder instead of an animal shelter (at least the author and his wife knew about puppy mills and avoided THESE) and the author is not immediately warned off by the breeder's suspicious behavior when asked about the sire of the litter.

I was not at all charmed by Marley's behavior. The author gave in the first night Marley whined about being left in the garage. THE FIRST show more NIGHT. Discipline and setting limits is important for pet ownership, and the author failed that ON THE FIRST NIGHT. Not even just the first night, but the first day as when he takes Marley home, he puts the dog in the seat (instead of a crate) so this enables Marley to crawl to the dashboard and etc. He did not attempt to discipline the dog or buckle him into his seat, which set the tone for the rest of Marley's life (not to mention being extremely unsafe for not only the driver, but other motorists!!!)

Marley may have been stupid to begin with, but much of his misbehavior is squarely the fault of John and Jenny. Marley keeps eating random odds and ends around the house? Put them out of reach! Marley keeps eating food off the counters? (sandwich crusts, and Rice Krispie bars on separate occasions) Stop leaving food on the counters!!! He keeps breaking screen doors by running through them? Then get a screen door with a solid bottom panel, or bars, so he can no longer bust through them!!!!! The author complains about thousands of dollars in damages, when much of that could have been avoided with some freaking commonsense.

There was one thing that especially disgusted me. Near the end of the book, the author mentioned how when Marley would walk past the couch, he would rub the side of his face along, leaving drool along the cushions. And then do it again with the other side of his face coming along the other way. EWWWWWW (not to mention all the drool and snot on car windows from letting Marley roam around in the car) I would not have wanted to hang around at this author's house with drool everywhere and a ill-trained dog.

It became all too clear to me, that even though Marley's behavior could be very rambunctious at times, much of his bad behavior came from the owners, not his own nature. The same can be said of ill-behaved children - lack of discipline. I found this book infuriating rather than endearing. The only reason this book got more than one star was because the author had a good writing style and made me chuckle in a few parts. show less

The beginning half of this book had me so annoyed I didn't want to finish it. Jenny and John showed themselves to be bad dog owners, or at least not capable of having a puppy/young dog. First it was claimed Marley was rescued, but in reality he was bought from a backyard breeder, whom they had no information about. They did not research the breed at all before purchasing a puppy either. Marley was bought as a practice test for to have children, which is a horrible reason altogether. Throughout the book it's mentioned he attends an obedience class that uses choke collars and that is what is used on Marley his entire life, which is cruel. They also knew he was afraid of storms and continued to do nothing until he had destroyed the room he show more was in and bloodied himself up multiple times. When discussing with the vet to neuter Marley, the owner really had to mull the idea over because he really thought he was going to breed Marley or that the dog would know he was missing out of sex, which is just insane. Also they let the dog fall out of a moving car, let him roam the house when they left and eat toys, pillows, ect with no regard of whether it could hurt him or not. AND THEN Jenny ends up having PPD and hitting Marley. Yes, I was crying as Marley got older and had to be put down, but that's the natural animal lover in me. The book only became enjoyable towards the end when Marley was older and had calmed down some and the owners were finally able to control him. Overall I really cannot fathom how this book became so popular and made into a movie. show less

I have avoided this book (and the movie, Thankfully!) until it popped up on a book list. So, forced to read it, I finally just sat today and downed the book in one big gulp
and I loved it. It probably has A LOT to do with the fact that I have a dog! And I love him to pieces. And he loves me and is nothing but fun (and a pain)! But, he is nothing like this dog.
I love the books that can give you the opportunity to look at your life (and maybe someone in it) and remind you how much you love them. My dog isn't "my dog", he's a family dog ~ and as much as he may frustrate us (or smell us all out of room!), we love him to pieces.

Rated: A+

After I read this book I felt so much better - my three mutts are the delight of my heart and I love them but boy oh boy are there moments when they would try the patience of an angel - and I'm no angel! This book reminded me that I'm not alone, it reminded me of all the dogs I have loved and have been privileged to share my life with, it reminded me why we are incredibly lucky that dogs look on humans with generous hearts and curiosity about these hairless pack members who pee in the big white (and best!) water bowl in the house.

I sometimes get hassled by people who assume that I don't like dogs. This is untrue. What I don't like are undisciplined dogs, whose owners seem to think that destructive, dangerous, or disruptive behavior is somehow cute. And since the title character in this book embodies two out of three of those qualities, I'm not overly enthusiastic about it.

Yes, there's some redemption toward the end, when the dog has become embedded in the writer's family. But overall, in the real world, having a pet like Marley would be an unending source of annoyance to me. Choosing to share that annoyance vicariously by reading this book was probably not my best reading choice.

Man måste inte vara hund älskare för att gilla denna bok, den e komisk men allvarliga inslag. Marley är en mycket speciell hund som man älskar att läsa om men man vill inte äga honom.
En lättläst bok, en perfekt sommarbok som man kan ha med sig och läsa överallt.