Now Reading Marley and Me

A few post ago Someday recommended this book. I received a copy for Valentines Day and have made it through a few chapters. Dukesmom gets mad because I try to read while she is trying to go to sleep and all of a sudden I will break out laughing.
One line I read last night had me laughing in tears.
After being kicked out of obedience school the author was working with Marley in his back yard trying to teach him to sit, stay, then come on command. He finally made him sit and stay until he was across the yard fifty feet away.
When he gave the come command Marley launched off at full speed.
"I could tell about half way that I had forgot to teach the stop command. Slow down, slow down I yelled but Marley continued toward me a full speed.
Just before impact, I could see in his eyes that the pilot had left the wheelhouse."
Grogan writes very well, comparable to the lady who writes the Laughingdog Press articles.

 

thats on my list to read

 

This has been on the best seller lists for quite some time. It is supposed to really be good. There is a lot of chatter about this book in my area right now. It is on my read list.
Has anyone finished it?

 

Yes I just finished it. The book was great but as you might anticipate the last couple of chapters are really sad so be forwarned. It reminded me of what I went through the last year of my old Jake who lived to be almost fifteen.
If you want to avoid to sad ending then stop after the chapter on chickens. Grogan writes really well and most dog people can really relate to his stories.

 

I can't wait to get to it. Thanks for the warning. I will plow through the whole book - but I will make sure I read it when the house is quiet and I have a box of kleenex next to me!!!

 

hermann,
Better make it TWO boxes of Kleenex. I actually had to just skip read as I knew all too well what the Grogan's were going through.

 

dukesdad thanks for the heads up, I would probably have to skip that part. I am a snively idiot when it comes to things like that. Everyone says go see 8 below! Well I know some of the dogs die, and it just a disney movie but I refuse to see it

I was thinking up recommending this for my bookclub, we will have to see

 

The book is a full emotional ride. For most you are laughing yourself to tears at Marley's exploits then the tears turn to sadness in the end.
honeybears, if you just put the book down after the chapter on chickens you will have only the good happy memories.

 

Honey - Eight Below was very good. Yes, it is a true story, and a couple of the dogs die -- but the photography was excellent. I'm a sniveler too - but I got more faclempt when I saw Where the Red Fern Grows or Call of the Wild.
What held back my tears in the Eight Below movie - was that I couldn't believe that the dogs' human man would actually leave the team! I would not have EVER, EVER left my team under those circumstances. Wimpy human! I actually left the theater a little mad. He did not deserve the love and dedication those dogs gave to him!

Anyway, back to Marley -- I will have TWO boxes of kleenex on hand!!!
Thanks.

 

OK, since were on sad dog movies anyone survive Old Yeller? Saw that as a kid and that last scene is still embedded in my memory. :cry:

 

My poor daughter just read Where the Red Fern Grows for school. She was careful to finish it at home because she knew something sad was coming and didn't want to cry at school.

She and I do crazy things in movies. In Dreamer, we closed our eyes when we knew the horse was going to fall and get hurt.

When she was little and we saw Disney's Tarzan, she lost it when the baby gorilla died at the beginning. And then when the gorilla leader died at the end it happened all over again. We had to sit outside the theater until she could stop crying.

And get this. Air Bud was on the Disney channel a couple nights ago. I have never seen the whole thing. There was a scene where the boy tried to make the dog go away so someone else could find him and he wouldn't have to go back to the mean owner, and I was crying my eyes out! The poor dog was just so confused and his boy is yelling "I don't want you anymore!" and I couldn't take it!

It's not real.....it's not real.....it's not real.....

 

I think that psychologists have a list of movies that will screen for psychopathic tendencies.

Old Yeller and E.T. - I believe are on the list.

The test is simple:
No tears = psychopath!!!

Back to Marley -- I will be prepared with TWO boxes of Kleenex.

 

Jam - my daughter read Red Fern too. I read it after I caught her reading the last chapters all red-eyed and teary!! It was a gut wrencher to say the least!

We saw the new(ish) movie a few months ago - and I started blubbering during the opening credits!!! My daughter got a good laugh out of that!

P.S. The movie was very good - but the book was better.

 

herrmann et al,
Boy sad news is just coming in today. I just checked my email box that I use to receive emails from the Bloat site I posted. Most are like the following message. I always respond to each email I receive sending my prayers to each family. Here is the note I just received:

I came across your webpage for Jake while researching Canine GDV. I am very sorry you had to experience this situation and I wanted to thank you for posting your experience. It has helped me get through these hours of uncertainty. I had a terrible day yesterday when I had to rush my dog, Jake, a golden retriever/lab mix to his vet for what I later found out was GDV. Jake had been diagnosed with a heart murmur and heart arrhythmia a few months ago and hadn’t really been his normal self for days anyway. Yesterday, my boyfriend called me at work to tell me that something was seriously wrong with Jake. We rushed him to the local vet and my heart was breaking as I watched my poor pet retching and gasping for air. He was pacing and completely miserable. The vet took x-rays and determined that Jake’s stomach had twisted and he would die within hours if we did not operate. The vet sent us to an Emergency Vet Clinic where Jake was admitted immediately. I then had to listen to the surgeon explain my pet’s very serious situation and his poor prognosis for making it through the surgery (which was even worse due to his heart disease and age). I was faced with the decision to immediately go to surgery or to euthanize – he would not live without surgery. I could not even think about putting him down, he is my baby and I have had him for 10 ½ years and I am no where near ready to let go. They proceeded with surgery with the next 2 hours being extremely scary for me. Jake did make it through yesterday’s surgery, but we are no where near out of the woods yet. The surgeon called this morning and my baby is very weak and they are still working on stabilizing his vital signs. I am trying to take this one hour at a time. However, I know it is no where near over. I was also told yesterday that Jake’s heart disease has progressed and he likely has less than 6 months to live. My heart is breaking.

I hope I have not brought back painful memories for you. It has helped me to talk about it and I still pray for Jake’s complete recovery. Thank you for listening. I have attached a picture of my Jake in his summer pool.

 

thank god I never saw ol yeller. I am so bad we went see chronicles of narnia, I didnt know the story behind it. and what happed to that lion, even though pure fiction, like you say Jimiya, it not real but I was crying so hard, I was thinking if I was a kid, that one would have left me traumitized for life.

And then I started watching because of Winn dixie and had to turn it of because I just knew somehitng bad was going to happen

Hermann, everyone say oh you hve to see 8 below because of the scenery, I just cant

 

honeybear - you are a sensitive soul!
Hey - I'm peri-menopausal so I sometimes get weepy during soap commercials on the television!!!

Looking at things from a different perspective - sometimes a good tear-jerker cleanses my spirit!!!

If you have kids - Old Yeller is going creep into your house one way or another -- either they'll bring home the book -- or they'll present you with the movie!!!

GET OUT THE KLEENEX!!!!!

 

Here's the spoiler for Winn-Dixie --------------------



It ends on a happy note!



The book was very, very good.

 

I refused to go and watch Seabiscuit until a friend of mine had gone to see it and told me that he does not die. Then I went.

Haven't seen Winn Dixie either as anything about a kid and a dog has to be sad. (Thanks for the heads up that it has a happy ending - it is the bit in the middle that I am worried about!)

Eight Below has not come here yet, but I will be sure to give that one a miss too. I am such a woos.

I did see Snowdogs though - yes, cried through that one too, but they were good tears. Damn I love those dogs (and it has a Border Collie in it - my favourite).

Thanks for the "discussion"

Jean

 

Dukesdad, on you bloat post on the ned waht a sweet note, they found comfort in your site. I pray their Jake recovers

 

Saw it at Sams Club yesterday, will go back today and get the book.

From the reviews, i can't wait to to get my "paws" on it and soak up moments with Marley and Family and what each page will unfold.

I have not seen Eight Below but might or will wait until DVD.

However i did see ANTARCTICA a few years ago and even just thinking on some of the scenes makes me wants to cry ( Go Taro and Jiro ).

It maybe hard to get a copy now of it. Ebay has a few but the prices are pretty high.

I dont know if the animal endangerment that the crew may of done is true. But it is something i wont forget

ANTARCTICA is also one of the most highest grossing movies ever in Japan.

Once again, Hugs to Taro and Jiro