Book Gift

As I said the other day, I received the Elizabeth Boyer books as a gift from my ex. Today I received Marley and Me by John Grogan from a friend of mine. Being a dog lover, as many people on this blogging world appear to be, I thought it was a very appropriate idea. I am just going to push all the books I am supposed to be reading to the side, and concetrate on this one.

For those of you unfamiliar with the book, from the flap:

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven pound steamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good - Marley was expelled. Neither did tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these."

And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused and limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing viction pierced the night. Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.

Anyways, I have a golden retriever that could possibly be related to this dog. lol She's calmed down in her older age, but when she was a puppy! I used to have two, Shelby got hit by a car a few years ago. Sandy and her used to have lots of adventures together. Shelby was the smart one, we wondered if Sandy got hit on her head as a puppy. But through it all, Sandy has always been here. She follows me around like my shadow, has to be as near to where I am as possible (or if I am moving from room to room she positions herself in the halfway point so I have to trip over her to get from point a to point b). She'll always be my puppy, and I think that a book about another entertaining and troublesome dog will be a wonderful thing to read. I talk to Sandy, maybe it is about time I read her a story?

Anyways, a wonderful present. I figure it has something to do with phone conversations with the person that bought it for me. I have full length conversations with the dog (normally at night because she won't go outside by herself) and the person on the phone just sits there and listens. Most of my friends think I am crazy, but then they don't have the worlds most stubborn dog. I have to hook my scanner up and find my CD for my camera, then there will be pictures to go along with this.