. . . Owning A Dog Always

When I Wrote 'marley & Me,' I Had A Clear Audience In Mind. And It Did Not Include Children. I Wrote My Book For Adults And Assumed Only Adults, And Possibly Teenagers, Would Be Drawn To It.

Cats Will Outsmart Dogs Every Time.

Only Then Did I See. Something Was Amiss With Patrick's Snap-on One Piece, Or "onesie" As We Manly Dads Like To Call It. His Chubby Thighs, I Now Realized, Were Squeezed Into The Armholes, Which Were So Tight They Must Have Been Cutting Off His Circulation. The Collared Neck Hung Between His Legs Like An Udder. Up Top, Patrick's Head Stuck Out Through The Unsnapped Crotch, And His Arms Were Lost Somewhere In The Billowing Pant Legs. It Was Quite A Look.

Then I Dropped My Forehead Against His And Sat There For A Long Time, As If I Could Telegraph A Message Through Our Two Skulls, From My Brain To His. I Wanted To Make Him Understand Some Things. You Know All That Stuff We’ve Always Said About You?” I Whispered. “what A Total Pain You Are? Don’t Believe It. Don’t Believe It For A Minute, Marley.” He Needed To Know That, And Something More, Too. There Was Something I Had Never Told Him, That No One Ever Had. I Wanted Him To Hear It Before He Went. Marley,” I Said. “you Are A Great Dog.

A Dog Is The Greatest Gift A Parent Can Give A Child. Ok, A Good Education, Then A Dog.