Marley & Me is a The New York Times bestselling autobiographical book by American journalist John Grogan. Told in first-person narrative, the book portrays Grogan and his family's life during the thirteen years that they lived with their Labrador Retriever, Marley, and the relationships and lessons from this period.Newly married John and his wife Jenny were both animal lovers, and they decided to buy a dog for their home, prior to having children. The dog they acquired as a puppy (named Marley after singer Bob Marley) rapidly grew into a strong adult, but despite their efforts at dog training (he was kicked out of his first dog obedience school by the instructor, who John Grogan called Ms. Dominatrix), he mainly did not accept the authority and directions of his owners. At times Marley used his great strength to destroy property, and tended to chew through doors, strongly built dog crates and even basement walls and doors, especially when impelled by his lifelong phobia of thunderstorms. At other times he dragged people and furniture around when he wished to socialize with other dogs or explore scents.
Marley stayed with his family as they moved from their original home to Boca Raton and up to Pennsylvania, and as they had their three children. On several occasions he showed deep empathy and a more serious side, comforting his mistress after a miscarriage, and protecting the victim and his owner when a neighbor was assaulted. Nearly rehoused during postpartum depression, he was allowed to stay and became a beloved companion of the children as they grew.
Eventually, Marley was unavoidably put to sleep following a recurrence of bloat (a nearly fatal condition requiring major surgery with unpredictable results) at age 13, when he was already seriously weakened from old age. Before Marley slipped away, John told him something no one had ever told him: "You are a great dog". Marley was deeply mourned by the entire family, especially by the author and his wife, who saw in him a role model and mentor of unconditional love, devotion and the art of enjoying and living life to the full. In the epilogue, the author describes how the following summer, his wife finds by chance an advert for a dog that "could have been his identical twin" in both looks and high energy behavior, and ends the book on a hanging note as the couple reflect on the gap in their lives and decide to go and see the new possible addition to their home.
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