John and Jenny were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy--and their life would never be the same. Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound steamroller of a Labrador retriever who crashed through screen doors,flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments,devoured couches and fine jewelry, and was expelled from obedience school.Yet Marley's heart was pure, and he remained a steadfast model of love and devotion for a growing family through pregnancy, birth, heartbreak, and joy, right to the inevitable goodbye.

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good—Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these."

And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

Preface: The Perfect Dog

1.And Puppy Makes Three

2.Running with the Blue Bloods

3.Homeward Bound

4.Mr.Wiggles

5.The Test Strip

6.Matters of the Heart

7.Master and Beast

8.A Battle of Wills

9.The Stuff Males Are Made Of

10.The Luck of the Irish

11.The Things He Ate

12.Welcome to the Indigent Ward

13.A Scream in the Night

14.An Early Arrival

15.A Postpartum Ultimatum

16.The Audition

17.In the Land of Bocahontas

18.Alfresco Dining

19.Lightning Strikes

20.Dog Beach

21.A Northbound Plane

22.In the Land of Pencils

23.Poultry on Parade

24.The Potty Room

25.Beating the Odds

26.Borrowed Time

27.The Big Meadow

28.Beneath the Cherry Trees

29.The Bad Dog Club

Acknowledgments

A Note from the Author