Posted on 02/24/2006 9:30:01 AM PST by churchillbuff
The tale of a rambunctious puppy is proving its staying power in the dog-eat-dog world of U.S. best-sellers.
With more than 1 million copies in print, "Marley and Me -- Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" has struck a chord with dog lovers who are laughing and crying over author John Grogan's account of his yellow Labrador retriever.
The story is more than a recounting of Marley's antics that include chewing through doors, expulsion from obedience school, clawing paint off concrete walls, devouring furniture, swallowing valuable jewelry and swooning over soiled diapers.
The excitable, good-natured lab also knows how to protect the family's tiny children and consoles the couple when they grieve over a miscarriage.
The nonfiction book has been on The New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks. It seems likely to break the barrier of a million copies sold, a feat generally accomplished by no more than a dozen books each year in the U.S. hardcover non-fiction market.
"It's really not just a dog book," Grogan said in an interview with Reuters.
"Before Marley, our life was about career, relationship, and ourselves," said Grogan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He helped us shift from an egocentric life to something more generous."
In the book, Grogan wrote: "Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things -- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in the shaft of winter sunlight.
"And as he grew old and achy, he taught he about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty."
Grogan said he realized the appeal of Marley's story after the 13-year-old dog died in 2003, and he wrote about the experience in his newspaper column.
The column evoked responses from some 800 readers, 20 times the volume of mail his columns usually generated.
Dogs have their own personalities, and they aren't robots. I have 4 dogs, and the one I mentioned is a great dog, she's just got a puppy personality. She doesn't attack anyone and she doesn't jump on people or slobber on them. She's just fun and playful. I guess if you are predisposed to not like dogs, it might be hard to understand.
This wasn't directed at your dog, but that statement from the article (and I've seen previous articles about it).
I'm an animal lover, and I know they have personalities, but they can almost all be curbed to be manageable and LIKABLE. I don't like an animal who destroys my house, and there's no reason to put up w/it as "just another personality". I believe in discipline - and that dogs not only should, but can be managed, regardless of basic personality. They are much, much better companions when taught manners.
A dear friend just finished reading this book and uttered the shortest and clearest book review I have ever heard:
"Laughed my ass of Friday...
Cried my eyes out Saturday..."
"Laughed my ass off Friday...
Cried my eyes out Saturday..."
Sorry to hear about your loss.
I know how you feel, I lost my poodle, Prissy, in 2001 and I still miss her. I woke up this morning thinking about her. She brought 13 years of joy to my life.
It'll get easier over time, but I grieved over my precious Prissy for about a year. She was my baby.
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