MARLEY & ME
By John Grogan
William Morrow
Harper Collins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Hardback, 292 pages, $21.95
Genre: Nonfiction

The author, John Grogan, and his wife, Jenny, newly married and worried about facing the trials and tribulations of raising children, decided owning a dog would be good practice for them. With fond memories of childhood pets leading them onward, they picked Marley, a Labrador retriever, from a large litter of pups. From day one, Marley proved to be a handful. He devoured everything in sight, tore through the house, ripped through screen doors, flung spit over the walls and guests, and worst of all, went crazy during thunderstorms. He was kicked out of obedience school and never quite learned how to properly heel. He would greet guests with enthusiasm, literally running into them and putting his paws on their shoulders.

Although Grogan claims Marley to be the world's worst dog, I'm sure this is said tongue-in-cheek. Marley proved to be Grogan's mentor; teaching plenty of lessons about love, loyalty, friendship and enjoying life to its fullest. I laughed, I cried, I didn't want it to end. As a dog owner, one of which is a black Lab, I enjoyed this book very much and am thankful our Lab isn't quite so manic as Marley. I wonder, though, what happened to Lucky?