John Grogan first began writing about his misbehaving dog, Marley, in his newspaper column.
Readers loved reading the columns so much that Grogan decided to turn his many Marley stories into a book—"Marley & Me"—which became a bestseller. He's even written a children’s version of the book, "Bad Dog, Marley!"
"Marley & Me," the true story of "life and love with the world's worst dog" is now available in paperback and shares with dog lovers and owners an important message: even though our pets might misbehave and drive us crazy, we need to take the time to work with and train them so they can live happy, healthy lives.
This message is what The HSUS's Pets for Life Program is all about. On our Pets for Life tip sheets, you'll find helpful tools to handle dog behavior challenges like barking, fence-jumping, digging, housetraining and more. We can even help your curb your cat's bad manners.
"Pets aren't toys you can toss in the closet and forget about when you get tired of them. They are living beings with feelings and needs," said Grogan in an interview with The HSUS. "They need good food and clean water, a warm place to sleep, plenty of exercise and proper medical care so they stay healthy. But beyond that, they need human companionship and attention."
"Without enough affection and love, [dogs] will become stressed out and may end up in trouble," Grogan said. "Many pet behavior problems stem from the fact that the animal is not getting enough attention."
Grogan's advice for people who have pets like Marley is to "have patience and a sense of humor, and don't give up. A lot of dogs just need someone to invest enough time and energy working with them, and they’ll turn out to be great pets."
For more information on pet behavior, see our Pets for Life pages. For more information on John Grogan, visit www.marleyandme.com.
The paperback edition of "Marley & Me," published by Harper paperbacks, is available wherever books are sold.
