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

The story begins with John and his wife Jenny in the early stages of marriage. They are young, in love, and both ambitious in their writing careers. They live in a small bungalow-style home in West Palm Beach, Florida. They recover and refinish the original oak floors, and replace surfaces and accessories throughout the house.

After accidentally killing a plant that John gave her, Jenny searches for a dog to bring into the family. She worries that if she can’t keep a houseplant alive, then she won’t be a good mother; a dog seems like the perfect step between houseplant and child to practice her caregiving skills. Having children has never been a question for John and Jenny, nor has the necessity of a dog in completing their family, so they visit a Labrador breeder to look at puppies.

The Grogans intend to think things through before settling on a dog, but John immediately sees there’s “no question that before the night was through one of these puppies would be ours” (7). The breeder, who is more of a hobbyist than a professional dog breeder, shows some hesitation about the puppy John and Jenny choose and offers the dog at a discount. John conducts what he calls “The Scare Test” in which he intentionally startles the puppies to see how each reacts, and their choice is confirmed when their puppy runs toward John’s commotion.

The puppy is too young to leave its mother, so John and Jenny must return in a few weeks after leaving their deposit with the breeder. On their way back to the car, a dog assumed to be the father of the litter comes tearing through the brush, a wet yellow blur: “Its tongue hung out wildly to one side, and froth flew off its jowls as it barreled past. In the split-second glimpse I got, I detected an odd, slightly crazed, yet somehow joyous gaze in its eyes” (9). John acknowledges the father of their new puppy with queasiness in his gut.

John and Jenny argue about their new dog’s name as soon as they driving home from the breeder. When they hear Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” playing, they immediately shout the name that comes to both of their minds: “Marley!” John explains, “Bob Marley was the soundtrack for our new life together in this strange, exotic, rough-and-tumble place that was so unlike anywhere we had lived before” (13). Because Marley is a purebred Labrador, John expands on the name to make the dog sound more regal, and he settles upon Grogan’s Majestic Marley of Churchill when filling out the paperwork for Marley’s registration with the American Kennel Club. Documenting Marley’s purebred status is important to John, who has never experienced what it feels like to be among “blue bloods” in society.

After paying their deposit, selecting a name, and completing paperwork for the American Kennel Club, John researches the breed he and Jenny have chosen: “I was embarrassed to admit that Jenny and I had done almost no research before settling on a Labrador retriever. We chose the breed on one criterion alone: curb appeal” (15). John is relieved to discover that he and Jenny selected one of the best breeds for a young growing family, with source after source assuring him of the Labrador’s intelligence, affection, loyalty, and trainability. However, there are also “ominous caveats” warning of the Labrador’s boundless energy, emotional dependency, and excitability, and a final warning that parent dogs offer “one of the best indications of the future temperament of your new puppy” (17). John thinks back to the yellow blur of fur at the breeder’s and the hesitation the breeder showed when talking about the litter’s dad, but ultimately “the caveats didn’t scare me much” (18). The Grogans go forward with the dog they’ve chosen.

Jenny is out of town visiting her sister’s family when John picks up Marley. Marley is eager for affection on the drive home, nibbling on John’s buttons and risking injury to cross from the passenger seat to John’s lap. At home, John has prepared newspapers, toys, water, and a dog bed for Marley in the garage. John feels sorry for Marley, though, realizing that the puppy must be accustomed to having his littermates with him at night. He quickly gives in to Marley’s crying and brings him inside to sleep beside the bed in the master bedroom. John and Marley fall asleep together, John’s hand resting upon Marley’s side.

John dedicates himself to caring for and training Marley in the few days before Jenny returns. When Jenny arrives home, she also throws herself into Marley “with the same utter abandon” and has him house-trained within a few weeks (24). She grants Marley the nickname “Mr. Wiggles” for his constantly swinging tail. Marley’s tail is cute at first but quickly grows forceful as he gains weight and strength, knocking over objects from shelves and tabletops throughout the house. Marley’s energy—and his always-wagging tail—force John and Jenny to quickly baby-proof their home.

Marley likes to take objects and hide them in his mouth, treating it like a game of catch-and-search with his masters. When he gets something he knows is forbidden, he quivers and shakes with his entire body in anticipation of the chase game ahead, a mannerism John dubs the Marley Mambo. Marley will eat nearly anything—bottle caps, wine corks, paper clips, and even John’s paycheck—and shows just as little discipline in his daily exercise. He proves to be a terrible walker, tugging on his leash constantly and bolting joyously at distractions. John and Jenny attempt to train Marley, but they also enjoy his puppyish antics to a degree, so they attempt to set rules but follow them inconsistently. Raising Marley brings out a maternal side of Jenny that takes John by surprise, and they decide to stop using birth control. They’re hesitant to openly share their hopes of starting a family but quietly hope that Jenny will become pregnant. After a doggy playdate, Jenny discovers fleas in their home and attacks the house with every flea-killing chemical she can obtain.

Jenny shows early signs of pregnancy, such as feeling nauseous at just the thought of alcohol. Seeing pregnancy symptoms in Jenny makes John realize how much he really wants to have a family too. They bring Marley along in the car as they drive to the pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy test. At home, Jenny and John share an intimate hug when the test strip comes back positive—a moment that’s interrupted when Marley tries to eat the used test strip. Jenny is excited but also concerned about all the chemicals she used to annihilate the recent flea infestation. She raises her concern with her doctor, who assures her that everything should be fine but warns her not to use the chemicals anymore.