Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog

John awakens the next morning to find Jenny softly crying and Marley comforting her. They decide to go for a family walk on the beach. Watching Marley play on the beach diverts John’s narrative to a history of the Labrador retriever, although he admits that Marley still doesn’t fit the description of the model Labrador; even when playing fetch, Marley pursues objects but won’t return them. John attempts to trick Marley into fetching and returning sticks, and Marley finally learns to fetch and return properly. On the way home Marley walks properly on his leash. John reflects on how easily Saint Shaun was trained and wonders what he’s doing wrong in training Marley: “For weeks Jenny and I had been working to teach him some basic social skills and manners, but progress had been painfully slow. It was like we were living with a wild stallion—and trying to teach it to sip tea from fine porcelain” (56). However, Marley learning to fetch and walk on a leash gives John hope.

John attempts to cheer Jenny up with flowers. Marley eats the bouquet, leaving nothing but a single carnation that gets tucked away in his jowls. Jenny finds it amusing, though, and she and John laugh together, breaking the tension of their shared grief. The next morning John awakens to find Jenny sleeping peacefully.

Marley is six months old and begins attending obedience class with a local dog-training club. The course instructor insists that “there are no incorrigible dogs, just weak-willed and hapless owners” (60). Marley arrives at obedience class in his usual jovial and excitable form, embarrassing John and Jenny with his lack of discipline. The instructor insists that each dog can have only one master, and the Grogans decide that Jenny will play the role of master for the duration of obedience class. Marley embarrasses them with his untamable antics at the first class, so John takes over the role of master and Jenny stays at home. John tries training Marley with a choker chain, but neither the choker chain nor direct instruction from the strict instructor break Marley’s habits. Marley is kicked out of obedience school, pushing John to take Marley’s training in his own hands more seriously.

A rainstorm strikes while both John and Jenny are at work. Left alone in the garage while his masters are at work, Marley tears the room apart as he attempts to escape the sounds of the storm. John and Jenny are shocked at the extent of the damage Marley caused to both the garage and to himself. They clean up the shredded rugs and boards, clean blood from Marley’s fur and from the walls, and begin a list of materials needed to repair the garage. John warns readers this is the first of many such trips to come.

The Grogans are grateful to find Dr. Jay, Marley’s understanding and good-humored veterinarian. Dr. Jay prescribes sedatives to keep Marley calm during storms, and he recommends neutering now that Marley is seven months old. John is hesitant about such a permanent procedure, but Jenny quickly agrees to having Marley neutered because it could mellow his disposition. Jenny’s continual pressure for a baby impacts John’s focus and confidence, and he finally makes the appointment for Marley to be neutered after the dog interrupts intimate baby-making time.

Marley manages to wiggle halfway out the car window on the way to his neutering appointment. The incident confirms for John that he’s making the right decision, and he tells the vet assistant, “Give him the works” (80). Marley returns home groggy, and John muses on the finality of the neutering and the end of Marley’s bloodline.

John and Jenny toil endlessly at work, at renovating their home, at improving their yard, and at trying to get pregnant again. John surprises Jenny with a trip to Ireland for their second wedding anniversary. John’s coworker Kathy, a declared dog lover, agrees to watch Marley while the Grogans vacation. John leaves a six-page list of instructions for Kathy, detailing everything from feeding to thunderstorm protocol. Jenny fears such an extensive list will scare the dog sitter away.

While John and Jenny enjoy rejuvenated marital bliss in Ireland, Marley asserts his dominance over the dog sitter: “Marley was the incorrigible student and Kathy the hapless substitute teacher. He was having a field day” (89). Kathy leaves the Grogan home looking broken. John reteaches Marley basic walking commands, and days later Jenny learns that she is pregnant again.