As a huge fan of John Grogan's "Marley & Me," I was psyched when my boyfriend brought home a little gift in the form of Grogan's "Bad Dogs Have More Fun". The collection of his editorials is sincere and heartwarming, as well as reflective of the bring-you-to-tears humor that made "Marley & Me" such an overnight sensation. The amazing aspect of Grogan's writing is that he can retell horrible events in a way that lets the reader imagine that some good came out of it all, without waxing religious. He never states "there was a good side to this;" instead, his images and involvement with each story create a positive emotional response in his readers.
Kyle and I have recently added a canine member to our duo. Riley Elvis is a black cocker spaniel puppy that keeps us on our toes and has us collapsing into bed at night. Riley reminds us to relax and enjoy his quirkiness. He teaches us to enjoy the simple things in life like he does - stolen underwear, sweaty socks, shredded recipes, and lengthy belly rubs. We sat up for hours in his room until he fell asleep so he wouldn't be alone; I slept on the floor when he hurt his eye; we went further into debt to have surgery on said eye. I guess what I'm trying to say is that your first dog as a "grown-up" has a lot of lessons to teach you. It becomes easier to define what is a priority and what is not, what is worth worrying over and what is just added stress. My dream has always been to be an author ... maybe one day the world will read "Riley & Me," and consider it half as wonderful as Grogan's charming tale of the dog that helped him become the man he is today.
