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.

There will be a movie based on the book coming out near December 2008, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.

The eulogy written by the author in his newspaper following the death of their dog, is described as receiving more responses than any other column he had written in his professional life up until that point.

Marley & Me has been rewritten into three different books. One being for younger readers who would enjoy reading about Marley's story, minus the sexual content in the original book. The book is called Marley: A Dog Like No Other. The second book is a picture book for readers learning to read in lower grade levels called Bad Dog, Marley! The third book is called Marley & Me: Illustrated Edition.

A family-dramedy film based on the book, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, directed by David Frankel, is in production for a December 25, 2008 release. The movie was filmed in Coconut Grove, FL,Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and West Chester, Pennsylvania.

• Official Movie Web Site

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