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Published on September 15, 2007

At the time, I hadn't read the book but mentioned the reviews I'd found on various news websites.

Now that "Marley & Me" is available at both Kinokuniya and Asia Books, I've finally read the book - and completely understand how anyone could love "the world's worst dog".

The book covers the 14 years that Grogan and his family spent with Marley, a Labrador retriever, from puppyhood to old age.

Purchased from a puppy mill, Marley turns out to be almost untrainable and completely destructive. He costs the Grogans thousands of dollars spent replacing damaged or destroyed furniture and personal items. He can escape from any enclosure, including a locked steel cage. This untrainable dog quickly learns to unlock it with his powerful tongue.

Yet he too, says Grogan, shows the capacity for unconditional love, as well as a surprising sensitivity. When Jenny, Grogan's wife, miscarries their first child, she curls up on the floor and buries her face in Marley's ample neck. He seems to understand, and, for the first time in his life, stays still long enough to allow her time to grieve.

Marley shows his guardian spirit other times, too. When a neighbour is attacked and knifed by a robber, he stands guard over her until the police arrive.

He's so terrified of thunderstorms that at the first sound of rumbling, he goes berserk, breaking through any door meant to contain him. Yet, when Grogan himself is hit by lightning (a very mild shock), Marley forgets his fears and stays outside in the storm by the side of his owner, who finally regains consciousness.

Both Grogan and his wife gradually discover that their dog hasn't a single mean bone in his body. His heart is so loving that they can leave their week-old first-born alone with him. As their family increases to three kids, the dog gladly adopts them all, and even teaches them how to dump baby food on the floor where he can enjoy it more easily.

They never forget that he's a dog, but he's also family, and it's with a shock that one day, Grogan realises that their puppy is now a senior citizen, nearly blind, deaf and crippled with arthritis.

Marley doesn't die from any of these, though, but from stomach torsion, which causes him intense pain and cannot be treated in such an old dog. The Grogans' final decision is heartbreaking.

If you're a pet-lover, "Marley & Me" will make you chuckle on one page and weep on the other.

People in any group of pet-owners inevitably end up talking about how "my cat/dog is so loving/naughty/demanding that I have to...". And Grogan is definitely in this group, filling in the blanks to show how the world's worst dog was part of the best times of his life.

Laurie rosenthal