The Lovely Marley Learn English through story level 2
chapter one
the new puppy
my name is john grogan and i love dogs
when i was 10 years old my father gave
me my first dog
i called him sean
sean was my best friend
he went everywhere with me and he was
very obedient
when i called him he came to me
he played with me and he walked next to
me without a leash
in the car
he sat next to me quietly
after many years
sean died
he was 14 years old
by that time
i wasn’t a boy
i was a man
i had my first job
shawn was a great dog
i wanted to get another dog
but it had to be as wonderful as sean
some years later i moved to florida and
married jenny
jenny and i had jobs with newspapers
we were very happy
we were young and in love and life was
wonderful
one day i bought a plant for jenny
it was very large with beautiful white
flowers
jenny loved it maybe too much
every day she gave it water
in the end the plant got sick and died
some days later i woke up early jenny
wasn’t in bed
i found her at the table with a
newspaper
she had a red pen in her hand
jenny i said
what are you doing
she showed me the newspaper
it was open at a page of ads
look at this john she said
i saw an ad with a big red line under it
beautiful labrador puppies
five weeks old
i can’t forget about that plant jenny
said
why couldn’t i look after a plant
i only had to give it water
but i killed it
she looked sad
but then she smiled
i can’t look after a plant
but maybe i can look after a dog and
later
maybe i’ll be ready for a baby
i thought about that
jenny and i wanted to have children one
day
but we love dogs too
our little house was a good place for a
dog
we lived near a park and near a beach
and the house had a big yard with lots
of trees
okay i said
i put my arms around jenny
let’s get a dog
so some days later we drove to the
address in the ad
the house was in the middle of some
woods
a woman came to the door and there was a
beautiful yellow labrador with her
i’m laurie
said the woman
and this is lily she’s the puppy’s
mother
where’s the father i asked
oh
said laurie
sammy boy
he’s uh around here somewhere
then she said quickly
do you want to see the puppies
laurie took us into a room behind the
kitchen
there were a lot of newspapers on the
floor and a large box by the wall
in the box were nine yellow puppies
oh
cried jenny
aren’t they beautiful
we sat on the floor with the puppies
one little puppy really liked us
he climbed up our shirts and looked into
our eyes
the puppies are
375 dollars each said lori
but you can have that puppy for 350
dollars
i stood up and turned away from the
puppies
then i turned back quickly and shouted
loudly
the other puppies ran away
but the little puppy ran to me and
climbed over my shoes
that’s our puppy
jenny laughed
i held him in front of my face
i looked at him and he looked at me
he had very large brown eyes
i gave him to jenny and she held him too
i think he likes us i said
we paid lori for him
come back for him in three weeks she
said
he’ll be eight weeks old so you can take
him then
we thanked lori and said goodbye
on our way to the car i put my arm
around jenny
isn’t it wonderful i said
we got our dog
yes
she said
i can’t wait to bring him home
suddenly we heard a loud noise in the
woods
something ran out of the trees
something large and yellow
it was a big labrador
but this dog was very different from
lily
this dog was wild and dirty
it had a crazy look in its eyes
it ran quickly past us and around the
back of the house
i think
i said slowly
that’s dad
jenny and i tried to think of a name for
our puppy but each of us liked different
names
one morning
we heard a song by bob marley the
jamaican singer on the radio
bob marley was dead
but people played his music everywhere
in florida
jenny and i liked his music too
suddenly at the same time we shouted
marley
that’s it i cried
that’s his name
marley
jenny smiled
some days later jenny’s sister called
her from boston
we’re visiting disney world next week
with the children she said
would you like to come with us
jenny wanted to go to disney world very
much
but i won’t be here when marley comes
home she said
that’s okay i said
i’ll go and get marley
a week later jenny left for orlando
that evening after work i drove to
laurie’s house
marley was a very large puppy now
he eats a lot
said laurie
are you ready for your new home marley i
said
i used his name for the first time and
it felt right
marley sat next to me in the car
he tried to climb on me but each time he
fell back on the floor
in the end he climbed up and sat on me
he wagged his tail happily
when we got home i took off his leash
marley began to sniff
he went around the house and sniffed
everything
then he sat back and looked at me with
his large brown eyes
i could read marley’s thoughts
this place is great
but where are my brothers and sisters
i took marley to the garage next to the
house
it was a warm dry room
marley i said
this is your room now
i put some newspapers down on the floor
i put some playthings down too
then i put some water in a bowl and made
a bed from a large box
you’re going to sleep here i said
i put marley into the box
he looked sadly up at me
i went back into the house and closed
the door
i stood and listened
i could hear nothing
then i heard a cry
and then another cry
the cries got louder and louder
when i opened the door again marley
stopped crying
i petted him for some time
then i left again and closed the door
marley started to cry again
i was very tired so i went to my bedroom
my bedroom wasn’t near the garage but i
could hear marley’s cries
i felt sorry for him
his family wasn’t there
after i got into bed i listened to
marley’s cries for half an hour
then i got up and went back to the
garage
marley stopped crying and wagged his
tail
i carried his box into my bedroom and
put it on the floor next to my bed
then i got into bed and put my hand down
into the box
some minutes later
marley was asleep
i slept too
chapter 2
life with marley
for the next three days i played with
marley
i lay on the floor and he climbed on me
he followed me everywhere
and he tried to chew on everything
when jenny came back from disney world
she played with marley too
she held him and petted him
she got up in the night and took him
outside
most of all
she gave him food
marley ate three large bowls of puppy
food every day
he got bigger all the time
his head and his paws were very large
and his tail was thick and heavy
when he wagged his tail he pushed
everything onto the floor
magazines and glasses and photos
marley loved to grab things and hold
them in his mouth
he grabbed things from the floor and
from the dining room table
he grabbed shoes pens bottle tops and
many other things
all right what have you got this time i
asked
when i opened his mouth i always found
something new inside
every morning i took marley for a walk
on the beach
then i put him in the garage with a bowl
of water and some play things
after that i went to work
i always said
be a good boy marley
jenny came home at lunch time and gave
him food
in the evenings we took marley down to
the beach again
but our walks weren’t easy
marley ran in front of us and pulled on
his leash
we pulled him back then he pulled us
again
he went this way and that way and he
sniffed everything
we tried to teach marley come
stay
sit
down
no
but he didn’t listen to us
he wasn’t obedient
he was like an excited child but every
day he got bigger and stronger
i killed the plant but i’m good with
marley
jenny said happily
one day jenny invited a friend to our
house
her friend brought her old dog buddy
with her
buddy and marley ran and played
then they were tired so they laid down
in the yard
some days later jenny was with marley
when she said
come and look at this john
i looked and i saw something small and
black in marley’s fur
oh no
i said
marley has fleas
they were on his paws inside his ears
and under his tail
buddy had fleas and he gave them to
marley
said jenny angrily
she ran out and got into her car
half an hour later she came back with
bags of chemicals
first she washed marley’s fur with the
chemicals then she put him in the garage
and cleaned the house carefully
i cleaned the yard
every day after that we looked in
marley’s fur
but we couldn’t see any more fleas
some weeks later jenny said
john
i’m going to have a baby
that’s wonderful i said
i was very happy
we were ready for a baby now
then jenny said
but will those chemicals be a problem
what chemicals i asked
what do you mean
don’t you remember
i used very strong chemicals when marley
had fleas
they can’t be good for a baby she said
she talked to her doctor about the
chemicals
it’s all right jenny he said
everything will be okay
jenny got up early every day and took
marley for a walk
she ate lots of fruits and vegetables
after 10 weeks she and i saw the doctor
again
would you like to see your baby he asked
yes please we said
we felt very excited
the doctor took us into a room at the
back and jenny lay down
he moved something over jenny
on a machine next to him we could see
something like a small gray bag
but we couldn’t see a baby inside
is there anything in there
asked jenny
after a time
the doctor said quietly
i’m very sorry jenny
your baby’s dead
i felt sick
i sat and held jenny’s hand
we didn’t say anything for a long time
when the doctor left i put my arms
around my wife
later i took her home
she was very quiet in the car
her eyes were red but she didn’t cry
back home
jenny went into the dining room and sat
down quietly on a chair
i got marley from the garage
he was very excited
he jumped up and wagged his tail
he wanted to play
not today marley
i said sadly
marley ran into the yard
he came back into the house and drank
water from his bowl
then he ran into the dining room and i
followed him
but at the door of the dining room i
stopped
i saw a wonderful thing
marley stood quietly in front of jenny
with his tail between his legs
he put his big head on her legs
he looked at her with his large eyes and
made small cries
marley understands i thought
jenny petted his head and put her face
in his fur
then
suddenly she began to cry
i went to them and put my arms around
them the three of us stayed there for a
long time
jenny marley
and me
chapter 3
the obedience class
when marley was six months old dr j the
animal doctor told us about an obedience
class
we loved marley very much
but he wasn’t an obedient dog every day
he got bigger and stronger and he didn’t
listen to us
he jumped up on us
he grabbed things in the house and
chewed them
when i bought flowers for jenny marley
ate them
we met the teacher of the obedience
class
she had a cold face and she didn’t smile
there are no bad dogs she said but there
are some very weak people
the class was every tuesday evening
we put marley into the car and drove to
the first class
when marley saw the other dogs he got
very excited
a party
he jumped out of the car
i ran after him but i couldn’t catch him
marley sniffed every dog before i caught
his leash
take that dog back to his place in the
line said the teacher
who is going to be his boss you or your
wife
i am
i said
me too
said jenny
no
said the teacher
a dog can only have one boss
okay
said jenny
i’ll do it
the other dog sat quietly in a line
jenny took marley to his place
i stood and watched
suddenly marley saw another dog at the
end of the line
that dog looked interesting
he started to pull jenny
she tried to stop him
but she couldn’t
marley was stronger than jenny
so he pulled her to the other dog
then he sniffed around it
that dog thinks he’s the boss
said the teacher coldly
she started to teach the class sit
and
down
sit
jenny told marley
but marley didn’t want to sit
he jumped up and put his paws on jenny
after the class the teacher said
you have to be strong with that animal
you’re the boss
show him that
when we got home
jenny said you can take marley to the
class next week
the next tuesday marley and i went back
to the class
jenny stayed at home
in the car i said to marley
i’m the boss
you’re not the boss
i’m the boss
do you understand
but marley only looked at me and wagged
his tail
then he tried to chew my hands
in this lesson the dogs had to walk
quietly next to us
it was a very important lesson for
marley
when he went for a walk with jenny and
me he always pulled us
the teacher gave us chains
put the chain over your dog’s head she
said
when he pulls you pull him back with it
it will hurt him so he’ll stop pulling
i tried to put the chain over marley’s
head but marley of course got very
excited
a new game
he grabbed the chain with his teeth
i tried again
but each time
marley grabbed it
in the end i got the chain over marley’s
head and started to walk with him
when marley pulled in front of me i
pulled him back with the chain
but then he pulled away again
here
said the teacher
i’ll show you
she took marley’s leash and started to
walk with him
marley pulled the chain
and the teacher pulled him back
but then marley pulled the chain again
this new game was great
then marley saw me
he started to run to me and he pulled
the teacher after him
marley was bigger and stronger than the
teacher
so she couldn’t stop him
she was very angry
after the class the teacher said
your dog isn’t ready for this class he’s
too young
you can bring him back in six or eight
months
are you telling us that we have to leave
the class i said
that’s right she said
you have to leave
because marley couldn’t go back to the
class i started to teach him at home
but it was difficult
marley wasn’t a fast learner
we had another problem with marley
in florida there were often
thunderstorms
marley was afraid of loud noises
he went crazy in a storm
he broke things and made everything
dirty
after each storm marley quickly forgot
about it
he was happy again and wanted to play
but in the next storm the same thing
happened
he was afraid
so he went crazy again
we talked to dr jay about the problem
dr j was young and he understood dogs
very well
what can we do we asked
when marley gets crazy he breaks things
one day he’ll get hurt in a storm
marley is seven months old said dr j
i’ll neuter him
then he won’t get so excited
he’ll be a quieter happier dog
i thought about that
oh
i said
i don’t really know
yes
said jenny that’s a great idea
bring marley here on your way to work
said dr j
it doesn’t take long he’ll be ready by
the afternoon
you can get him again on your way home
a week later we took marley to dr j
marley ran from the house and jumped
into the car
he was very happy
he loved to go out with jenny and me his
two best friends
jenny drove and i sat next to her with
marley he pushed at the window with his
nose he wanted to sniff outside the car
i opened the window and marley put his
nose outside
i feel sorry for marley i said to jenny
then i looked at him
his front paws were out of the window
john
said jenny
what’s marley doing
please be careful
he’s fine i said
he only wants to put his head outside
marley put his head out of the window
then suddenly he pushed his front legs
out too
he tried to jump down on the road
but the road was very busy with cars
john
shouted jenny hold him
jenny tried to stop the car but she
couldn’t
the other cars drove around us very fast
it was very dangerous
now
marley’s front paws were down on the
road
he ran next to the car
i grabbed him by his tail and jenny
stopped the car
now what
i shouted
i couldn’t pull marley back into the car
i couldn’t open the door
i couldn’t get my other arm out
and there were cars all around us
the other drivers looked at us angrily
jenny opened her door and got out of the
car
she ran around it and grabbed marley
i opened my door and got out too in the
end we got marley back into the car
when we got to dr jay’s i took marley
inside
he sniffed everywhere
then he pushed over a table with
magazines on it
i gave marley’s lease to dr j
please neuter him as quickly as possible
i said
please
that evening when i took marley home
i saw a change in him
he wasn’t excited and crazy
he moved quietly and slowly
good
i thought
chapter 4
changes at home
jenny and i worked hard at our jobs
we also worked hard at home
so one evening i said
let’s go on vacation jenny
the next day i bought two airplane
tickets
they were for a three-week vacation in
ireland
what are we going to do about marley
asked jenny
we can leave him in the house i said
somebody can stay here with him
marley is a difficult dog said jenny
that person will have to be kind but
also strong
he or she will have to be his boss
i know
i said
then i had an idea
kathy loves animals
kathy worked in my office
the next day i asked her and she said
yes
before she arrived i wrote some notes
for her about marley
there were six pages of notes
i showed them to jenny
did i forget anything i asked
jenny read the notes then she said
you can’t tell kathy all that
she won’t want to stay with marley
but when kathy read the notes she smiled
marley and i will be fine she said
have a great vacation
jenny and i had a wonderful vacation in
ireland
the weather was fine and warm
we drove on small country roads and
walked by the ocean
at night we stayed in the houses of
irish families
we forgot about our jobs in florida
when we arrived home marley ran outside
to us
kathy stood at the door
she looked very tired
her bag was next to her
i’m sorry she said
but marley broke a lot of things in the
house
he wasn’t obedient and he didn’t listen
to me
we thanked kathy but she wanted to leave
very quickly
i turned to marley
all right marley i said
tomorrow you’re going to learn about
obedience
the next morning jenny and i went back
to work but first i put the chain around
marley’s neck and took him for a walk
marley started to pull me
sit marley i said
marley
sat okay
let’s try that again i said
we started to walk and marley pulled me
again
i made the chain very short and pulled
him back
it hurt him
but it was the only way
in the end
he learned his lesson
he walked next to me and didn’t pull me
i felt very happy
good marley i said
i’m the boss
some days later jenny called me at the
office
john
she said
i went to see the doctor
i’m going to have a baby
this time jenny and i were very careful
and we put away every chemical in the
house
jenny looked well
she got up early each morning and took
marley for a walk by the ocean
when we went to the doctor we saw our
baby on the machine
but i didn’t forget about marley
i worked with him every day
marley was more obedient now
but he didn’t listen to me all the time
he came when i called him
sometimes
in our yard we had a fruit tree
marley loved eating fruit
but it went through him quickly
his poop was everywhere in the yard
he ate a lot of other things too these
went through him and came out in his
poop
toys pens and bottle tops
i bought jenny a beautiful chain for her
birthday
she loved it and she put it around her
neck
but some hours later she cried
my chain
where is it
maybe i didn’t put it on right
we didn’t go outside i said
so it’s here in the house
we looked in every room but we couldn’t
find the chain
suddenly jenny said
what’s that in marley’s mouth
i saw the end of a thin chain
oh no
i cried
okay marley it’s all right
come here now
please give us the chain
but marley only looked at us
suddenly he threw his head back
he’s eating the chain
cried jenny
i opened his mouth and pushed my hand
down
but i couldn’t find the chain
we’ll have to wait i said
the chain will go through marley and
come out in his poop
i gave marley lots of fruit we waited
for three days
i followed marley everywhere
when he pooped i looked for the chain
but it wasn’t there
on the fourth day i found it after i
washed it it was very clean
it had a beautiful shine
that’s wonderful jenny said
it shines better than before
jenny wore that chain for years
when i saw it i always thought of marley
our son was born in saint mary’s
hospital in palm beach
we called him patrick an irish name
things are going to change at home for
marley now said jenny
maybe he won’t like the changes
i brought jenny and patrick home from
the hospital
patrick was asleep and we put him on our
bed
then we went to the garage and brought
marley into the house
he followed jenny into the bedroom but
he didn’t see patrick on the bed
then patrick made a small noise and
marley’s ears went up
where did that noise come from
patrick made another noise marley held
up a paw
and jenny and i watched him
what’s marley going to do
i thought
marley jumped up onto the bed
i pulled him back quickly and held him
patrick’s eyes were very wide
but marley didn’t want to hurt patrick
he sniffed all around him
now marley had a new best friend
when he was near patrick he wasn’t wild
and crazy
at night he slept under patrick’s bed
six months later patrick started to move
around
marley lay on the floor and patrick
climbed over him
sometimes patrick pulled marley’s fur
but marley lay quietly and didn’t move
we were parents now and we were happy
we had our wonderful baby
we had our dog
we had our house by the ocean
life was good
then when patrick was nine months old
jenny said
i’m going to have another baby
chapter 5
difficult days
sometimes
bad things happened in our street
one night in october jenny and i were in
bed
marley lay on the floor next to me
suddenly i heard a cry
the cry of a girl
it came from the street outside
i felt afraid but i jumped out of bed
come with me marley i said
please john
don’t go out there said jenny
call the police i said
i’ll be careful
i held marley by the end of his chain
the girl cried again
we went outside and a man ran away down
the street
two young men ran to me
go and stay with the girl they shouted
help her we’re going after the man
i ran to the girl
she was my neighbor’s daughter lisa
she was 17 years old
her shirt was red and wet
what happened
i asked
i was in my car she said
a man got in and put his hand over my
mouth
he said
don’t make a noise
but i did
and he cut me with his knife
i held lisa in my arms
it’s going to be all right i said
but i didn’t really think that
lisa’s face was gray and she was very
weak
i looked at marley
he stood and looked down the street
he looked strong and ready for a fight
nobody could get past him
some minutes later the police arrived
with doctors
and they took lisa away
a policeman asked me questions
then i went home with marley
jenny met us at the door
marley was a different dog tonight i
said
nothing can hurt us when he’s with us
i looked at marley
you did well tonight i said
lisa didn’t die
she got well again
but i never forgot that night
one night when jenny and i were in bed
she said
john
i think the baby is coming
please call the doctor
something’s wrong i thought
it’s too early for the baby
i took jenny to the hospital
your baby is too small the doctor said
to her
we have to stop him coming out
you’ll have to stay in the hospital
jenny was in the hospital for 12 days
i stayed at home with patrick and marley
i did the housework i cooked and washed
clothes
in the evenings i was very tired
marley sat and looked at me sadly
i could read his thoughts
i don’t understand
why doesn’t john want to play with me
why doesn’t he take me for walks
and where’s jenny
i didn’t do things at home very well
i left the bathroom door open all the
time
marley loved to go into the bathroom and
to drink water from the shower
one day i took patrick on a visit to the
hospital
what did you do to patrick
jenny asked
what do you mean i asked
he’s fine
look at him
said jenny
i looked
his arms were in the legs of his baby
clothes
jenny called my aunt anita
she also lived in florida but in a
different town
please can you look after john and
patrick
she said
two days later aunt anita arrived
she did the housework and everything at
home was fine again
when jenny came home she had to stay in
bed all day
this was a very difficult time for her
she couldn’t cook or go for a walk
worst of all
she couldn’t hold patrick
marley brought his playthings into the
bedroom and lay on the floor next to
jenny
he stayed there day and night
aunt anita had to go home to her husband
so i had to look after the house again
then one day when the doctor visited
jenny he said
you can get up now
the baby is bigger
jenny was very happy
she got up and played with patrick and
marley she started to do the housework
the next day we went to a greek
restaurant for lunch but suddenly the
baby started to come
so i took jenny to the hospital
then everything happened very quickly
one hour later i held my beautiful new
son in my arms
jenny and i had two sons now patrick and
connor
one was 17 months old and one was a baby
we were very happy with our sons but we
were tired all the time
the babies woke us every night
we couldn’t sleep for more than two
hours
conor had problems with jenny’s milk
after he drank he was sick
so jenny was very sad
what’s wrong with me she said
connor doesn’t like my milk
maybe i’m not a good mom
she started to get angry quickly
she didn’t get angry with patrick and
connor but she was often angry with
marley and me
marley could do nothing right i bought a
plant and planted it in the yard
the next day marley pulled it out and
ate it
then he broke a door in the house
he went crazy when there was a
thunderstorm
one day when i got home from work i
found marley with jenny
jenny was very very angry
why do you break everything she shouted
you’re a very bad dog
marley stood with his head down and she
hit him again and again
i went and grabbed jenny’s arms
hey hey hey i shouted stop stop
i looked into jenny’s face
but the look in her eyes was new to me
her face was the face of a stranger
get him out of here she said
get him out of here now
i opened the front door and marley ran
outside
when i turned back for his leash jenny
said
you have to find marley a new home
she couldn’t mean it
she loved this dog
i walked out of the door
marley ran and jumped around
he wasn’t hurt
i took marley into the street and said
sit
he sat
i put his chain over his head with the
leash
then i took him for a very long walk
when we got home marley was very tired
i took off marley’s leash and he ran to
his bowl
the water went everywhere on the floor
i cleaned it
jenny sat in a chair with patrick and
connor
when i walked past her she said quietly
i want that dog to leave
i felt very sad
marley was my friend and i loved him
i didn’t want to find a new home for him
but i also had a wife and two small
children
i had to think about them
i talked to my friends and neighbors
about marley
do you want a labrador i asked
but nobody did
i looked in the newspapers
they were full of ads from people with
dogs and a lot of the ads were for
labradors
these people paid a lot of money for
their dogs i thought
but now they’re looking for new homes
for them
maybe labradors are too difficult
too big and strong
marley wasn’t an easy dog
he wasn’t obedient and he broke things
but we brought him to our home when he
was a puppy
he loved us and we loved him
he was our dog
i took marley back to the obedience
class
a different teacher was there now this
time things went better
i said sit and marly sat
i put the chain around his neck and he
walked quietly next to me
i said stay and he stayed
i walked away from him but he didn’t
move
then i turned and said come
marley ran quickly to me
good boy marley i said
good good good boy
at the end of the eight weeks the
teacher gave me a paper
it said marley did well in the obedience
class
i was very happy
on the way home i sang
after this a wonderful thing happened
jenny got better
she stopped being sad and was strong and
happy
she was a good mother to patrick and
connor and she was kind to marley again
she danced around the room with him
sometimes at night when he was quiet
she lay on the floor with him her head
on his neck
jenny’s here with us again i thought
that’s great
chapter 6
marley makes a movie
jenny’s friend colleen worked for a film
company
one day colleen called jenny
my company is making a film about a
family in florida she said
they want pictures of a family home
can i come and take some pictures of
your house
colleen came and took photos of our home
and the children and of marley too
she showed them to her boss bob goss
some days later jenny called me at work
bob goss is making a movie about a
family with a dog she said excitedly
so he’s looking for a dog a big family
dog
he saw colleen’s photos and he’s
interested in marley
really
i said
you mean
marley
our
marley
the next day colleen came to our house
and took marley to her boss
two hours later she brought him back
again
marley was great she said
everybody loved him
some days later the company started
filming
bring marley to the gulfstream hotel at
nine o’clock
bob goss told us
we put the children and marley into the
car and drove to the hotel
a lot of people stood outside
the police were there too
one of the policemen looked inside the
car
he saw jenny two small children and a
large dog
you can’t come this way he said
you have to turn back
but
we’re with the film company i said
our dog is in the movie
really
the police officer said
then he looked at a paper in his hand
you have the dog marley’s name was on
the paper
i have the dog
i said
marley the dog
oh
said the policeman
he turned to another policeman and
shouted he has the dog marley the dog
then he turned to us again
you can come in he said
i felt very important
marley was famous
the cameraman started to film marley but
marley wasn’t obedient he ran and jumped
he chewed through his leash
cut cut cut
shouted bob goss
at the end of the day we took marley
home
marley i said sadly
you’re not going to be famous
but the next day the film company called
again please bring marley back here they
said
when we got back to the hotel bob goss
said
on film marley was great
marley had a very good time with the
people in the film company
everybody played with him and petted him
after four days the cameraman stopped
filming
call us after eight months said bob goss
the movie will be ready then
after eight months we called the company
the name of the movie was the last home
run
but we couldn’t learn anything about it
i called the company again and again
two years later i was in a store and
there were a lot of movies on the
shelves
suddenly i saw the last home run
marley’s movie
i bought it and took it home
come and watch this
i shouted to jenny and the children
we saw marley in the movie
he was only there for two minutes but it
was very exciting
we all laughed and cried
we’re famous
shouted patrick
marley’s name came at the end of the
film
in big letters it said
marley the dog
some time later we said goodbye to our
home in west palm beach
the place got more and more dangerous
and our house was too small for two
children and a large dog so we moved to
a bigger house in another city boca
raton
a lot of rich people lived in boca raton
they had expensive cars big houses and
beautiful clothes
there were many good things about our
new house
near the house was a small park
but best of all
it had a pool
we all loved the pool
but marley loved it most
he jumped in with me and climbed on me
but there was a problem with the garage
in our new house
it had no windows and it got very hot in
summer
so we couldn’t put marley in it when
there was a thunderstorm
i took patrick and connor to the pet
store and we bought a strong cage from
marley
we put it next to the washing machine
i put some food in the cage
come here marley i called
marley went inside and i closed the door
of the cage after him
he lay down on the floor and chewed his
food happily
this is going to be your new home when
we’re away i said
that evening we went out for dinner
before we left i opened the door of the
cage
marley walked inside and i closed the
door
be a good boy marley
i said
we had dinner in a restaurant then we
went for a walk
this is great said jenny
we can forget about marley we know he’s
fine in the cage
she smiled happily
we went home and walked to the front
door
i looked at the window next to it
something was there
in the window
something black and wet
it was marley’s nose
what’s that i said
how could
marley
when i opened the front door marley ran
to us happily
everything in the house was fine
then we looked at the cage
the door was open
but
how did marley get out
asked jenny
he opened the door from inside i said
he’s smart and he’s very strong
day after day when we left the house
we’d put marley into the cage
when we came home
sometimes he was there
sometimes he was at the window
we tried to make the cage stronger but
marley was stronger than the cage
when he wanted to get out he pushed the
door open
chapter 7
the world’s worst dog
many people in boca raton had dogs but
their dogs were very different from
marley
most of these dogs were very very small
rich women carried them in their
handbags and took them into expensive
stores and in their fast cars
marley wanted very much to be friends
with these small dogs but the dogs
didn’t want to be friends with marley
the weather in boca raton was very good
so lots of restaurants had tables and
chairs outside
customers brought their dogs with them
to the restaurants
people ate their food or drank coffee
and their dogs lay quietly on the ground
one sunday afternoon we went out for
lunch
we parked our car and walked up and down
the street
many other people were out with their
dogs too
marley walked next to me on his leash
we found a restaurant and sat down
outside
i put marley’s leash around one of the
legs of the strong heavy table
the waiter came and we asked for some
drinks
then jenny held up her glass happily
to a beautiful day with my beautiful
family she
said suddenly our table started to move
it moved quickly between the other
tables and the other customers
what’s happening i thought
then i saw a small white dog across the
street
marley’s going to that dog i shouted
we have to stop him
we jumped up and ran after marley and
the table
sorry sorry
sorry
we shouted to the other customers
i ran and grabbed the table
jenny grabbed it too
we held it and it stopped moving
i turned around and saw the faces of the
other customers
everybody looked at us with their mouths
open
we carried the table back to its place
and a waiter came
i’ll get some more drinks for you he
said
no
said jenny
we’ll pay for our drinks and leave
jenny and i had another baby
this time it was a girl and we named her
colleen
when colleen was two months old i had my
40th birthday
i wanted to do something exciting on my
birthday but it was a very quiet day
when i arrived home from work jenny was
tired
by 8 30 all three children were asleep
and jenny was two
i felt a little sad
i took a drink outside
i sat and looked at the ocean
marley lay on the ground next to me
i thought about my life then i thought
about marley
he wasn’t a puppy now
he was six years old
but he loved life and he was very happy
marley i said
it’s only you and me tonight
i held up my glass
we’re not young
but we’re having a good time
some days later my friend jim called me
let’s go out for a drink on saturday he
said
jim came for me at six o’clock and we
went out to a bar we talked and laughed
then the barman called out
is john grogan here
there’s a phone call for john grogan
it was jenny
the baby’s crying she said
can you come and help me
i’ll take you home
jim said
when we turned into my street i saw a
lot of cars
somebody’s having a party i said
jim stopped the car outside my house and
i invited him inside
then suddenly the front door opened
jenny stood there with colleen in her
arms she had a big smile on her face
i looked into the yard
there were lots of people around the
pool
my friends and neighbors
happy birthday john they shouted
i wanted to take marley to the beach
you couldn’t take pets onto most beaches
in south florida
but one small beach was different
everybody called it dog beach
on dog beach dogs could run freely
they didn’t have to be on a leash
one morning in june i took marley to dog
beach
there were lots of people with dogs
but the dogs were on leashes
what happened i asked a man
the police came
the man said
we have to use a
so i walked marley on his leash
but i felt sorry for him
after our walk i gave marley a bowl of
water
then a man arrived with a big black dog
it looked dangerous
don’t be afraid of him said the man
this is killer
but he’s very friendly he doesn’t fight
other dogs
i told the man about the police
that’s stupid he shouted
this is dog beach
he took off killer’s leash and killer
ran into the water
marley looked at killer and then he
looked at me
i could read his thoughts
please please please
i’ll be good
i looked around the beach
i couldn’t see any policemen
i took off marley’s leash and he ran
into the ocean after killer
marley and killer played happily in the
water
other people watched them
then they took off their dog’s leashes
too
the dogs ran into the water
but then marley started to drink from
the ocean
stop that marley i cried
you’ll be sick
but marley didn’t listen to me and he
didn’t stop drinking
then
he started to turn around in the water
oh no i thought
i ran into the water
but it was too late
marley pooped everywhere
hey
somebody shouted angrily
get your dog
marley no
i shouted i could feel everybody’s eyes
on me and on marley
no marley no
no
no
no
marley’s poop was everywhere
the other people grabbed their dogs
marley came out of the dirty water and
looked at me happily
but we had to leave
that wasn’t nice
the man with killer said
sorry
i said
i put marley’s leash on him
other dogs didn’t drink water from the
ocean
marley wasn’t a bad dog but sometimes he
did stupid things
what’s wrong with you marley i said on
the drive home
sometimes you’re the worst dog in the
world
i never took marley to the beach again
chapter eight
we move north
when colleen was two years old i got a
job with a magazine in pennsylvania in
the northeast of the united states
we were ready for a change from florida
there were too many people and cars
the weather was always hot with a lot of
thunderstorms
we wanted to live in a quiet place in
the country
we wanted to see summer winter spring
and fall
most of all
we wanted to see snow
our new home was very beautiful
there was a small river near our house
and there were woods all around it
marley was very happy
he loved playing in the woods and
running after small animals
three weeks after new year it snowed
the children were very excited because
it was their first time
we put on warm jackets and ran outside
marley followed us
marley was very funny in the snow
he fell down all the time
snow lay on his fur and his face
i could only see a black nose and two
brown eyes
i could read his thoughts
i don’t
understand what’s this
it feels so cold and wet
but then marley jumped up again
he ran around the yard and jumped
through the snow
the children laughed happily and marley
was happy too
we had a great time
it was almost the end of our first
winter in pennsylvania
we were very happy in our new house
but marley was nine years old now
he moved more slowly and he slept for
most of the day
sometimes when i took him for a walk he
got very tired
his fur in many places was gray not
yellow
life with marley wasn’t easy
he cost us a lot of money
he ate a lot of food and he broke a lot
of our things
we could never change him we knew that
but he was one of our family
he loved us and we loved him
that spring i said to jenny
let’s get some farm animals
okay
she said
but we don’t have a place for big
animals
let’s get some chickens
then we can have eggs every day
jenny talked to one of the moms at the
children’s school
donna lived on a farm she gave jenny
four baby chickens
the chickens lived in a box in the
kitchen
they ate and pooped
then they ate some more
and they got bigger
one morning i woke up early when i heard
a call from downstairs
i woke jenny up and asked
what’s that noise
oh
she said
i don’t know
she turned over and slept
every morning the chickens made a lot of
noise
sometimes they made loud noises very
near marley
marley was usually afraid of loud noises
but he didn’t move away from the
chickens
that’s strange i thought
can’t marley hear the chickens
one afternoon when marley was asleep in
the kitchen i walked up behind him
marley i said
but marley didn’t move
marley i said again
nothing
marley
i shouted
marley turned
he stood up and wagged his tail
oh no
i thought
marley can’t hear
but marley could hear some things
when we put food in his bowl he always
heard the sound of his dinner
he ran in from the next room
marley was always hungry
he ate four big bowls of dog food every
day
and he also ate our food
labradors are big dogs and marley was a
very large labrador
but he never got fat
one day i came home from work early and
i went into the kitchen
marley was there
he didn’t see me and he didn’t hear me
there was a sandwich on the kitchen
table marley stood up and put his paws
on the table
then he ate the sandwich
what are you doing marley i asked
you are a bad dog
but he didn’t hear me
he ate the sandwich happily
i put my hand on marley’s fur and he
jumped
when he saw me he laid down on the floor
he looked up at me and i started to
laugh
i couldn’t be angry with marley
he was old now and he couldn’t hear
i couldn’t change him
the chickens weren’t afraid of marley
and he never tried to catch them
they walked around the yard and marley
went with them
chapter 9
marley gets older
jenny and i had a good life our children
were young
we felt young too
but when we looked at marley we saw many
changes
the years went past and he was 12 years
old
by this time he couldn’t hear anything
his fur was gray his teeth were brown
late one night i took marley outside for
his walk before bed
it was winter and there was a cold rain
i went back into the house for my jacket
when i came out again
marley wasn’t there
i looked for him everywhere but i
couldn’t find him
i went back inside
then i walked upstairs and woke up jenny
i can’t find marley i said
he’s out there in the rain
jenny pulled on her jeans and shoes and
we went outside again
i walked slowly through the woods and
called for marley
jenny went a different way
we were very wet and cold
let’s go home and get warm i said
i’ll get the car and come out again
we walked back to our house
suddenly we saw marley
he stood outside the house out of the
rain
when he saw us he was very happy
i felt angry with him but then i was
happy too
i brought him inside and dried him
marley was very tired
he went to sleep and woke up at noon the
next day
marley couldn’t see well now
his fur started to fall out too
jenny cleaned the house every day but
his hairs were everywhere
but marley’s biggest problem was his
hips
they hurt him a lot and he couldn’t move
quickly
he couldn’t climb the stairs easily
but he tried to follow us
everywhere marley had good days and bad
days
one spring evening i took him for a
short walk around the yard
the night was cold and there was a light
wind
i ran and marley ran with me
marley i said you’re a puppy again
we ran back to the house
there were two small stairs in front of
the door
when marley tried to climb the stairs he
fell down he lay on the stairs and
looked sadly up at me
marley was too heavy for me i couldn’t
carry him so i had to push him up the
stairs
then he stood up and went into the house
when i looked at marley i thought
we only have one life and it can change
very quickly
i enjoyed my job on the magazine but i
really wanted to work for a newspaper
again
newspapers were more exciting and i
liked writing about big stories
i also liked getting letters and calls
from readers
a friend told me about a job on the
philadelphia inquirer
this was one of the best newspapers in
the united states
i wrote to the newspaper and i got the
job
i was very happy
in the summer jenny visited her sister
in boston
she took the children with her
i didn’t go because i was busy with my
new job
every day i was away from home for 10 or
12 hours
so we took marley to a vacation home for
dogs
some days later an animal doctor called
me from the home
i’m sorry she said
but marley’s very sick
when he saw the other dogs he got very
excited he ate his food too quickly
then he had a bad problem with his
stomach and he almost died
he’s a little better now but it will
happen again
oh i said
what are you saying
do you want us to help end marley’s life
she said
i’m sorry
oh i said
i couldn’t think
i have to talk to my wife
i called jenny in boston and we had a
long conversation about marley
in the end jenny
said the doctor’s right
we have to do the best thing for marley
i called the doctor back
yes marley’s a very old dog i said
life isn’t so good for him now
he doesn’t have many teeth and he can’t
hear
his hips hurt him too
yes she said
maybe we have to put him to sleep but
i’ll call you again in an hour
when the doctor called again she said
marley’s a very sick dog but he isn’t
getting worse
the next morning she called again
we can wait she said marley’s eating
you can take him home tomorrow
i was very happy the next evening after
work i went to the dog’s home
marley was very thin and weak
i thanked the doctor
everybody here loves marley she said
one of the workers helped me put marley
into the car
then i drove him home
he couldn’t climb the stairs to the
bedroom and i didn’t want to leave him
so that night i put a sleeping bag on
the floor and laid down next to him
tomorrow jenny and the children are
coming back i said
but tonight marley it’s only you and me
i thought about my first night with
marley when he was a small puppy
that night he cried for his mother and
then he slept in a box next to my bed
now 13 years later here we were again
i put out my hand and petted him
in the next weeks marley got a little
better
a lot of the time he lay on the floor in
the family room asleep in the sun
but one morning when i was in the
bedroom i heard a noise
then connor shouted help marley fell
down the stairs
marley lay at the bottom of the stairs
jenny and i ran to him but then he got
up and walked away
marley had a bad fall i told the
children
but he’s okay
but marley was hurt
when i got home from work that evening
he couldn’t move
when he saw me he tried to get up
but he fell down again on the floor
i don’t think marley can go upstairs
again i said
but i was wrong
the next day i was upstairs at my
computer in my bedroom when i heard a
sound
i turned around marley stood at the
bedroom door
marley i said
what are you doing here
i went to him and petted him
then i looked into his eyes
marley i said
you’re going to tell me when it’s time
right
chapter 10
a great dog
winter arrived early that year
the children waited for the snow
can marley live through another winter i
thought
jenny and i took the children to disney
world in florida
it was their first christmas away from
home and they were very excited
jenny took marley to the animal doctor’s
office
they gave him a home there and watched
him carefully
we had a great family vacation
but on the way home somebody called us
from the doctor’s office
marley’s very tired she said and his
hips are really hurting him
the next day jenny went from marley
he got out of the car but he couldn’t
walk into the house
he lay on the ground outside
jenny called me at work
i can’t get marley inside she said he
can’t get up
i left my office and went home
when i arrived marley was inside the
house but he was very sick
he lay on the floor
for the first time in 13 years he didn’t
get up when he saw me
his eyes followed me but he didn’t move
his head
i looked at his stomach
it was very big
i called the animal doctors
bring marley here now
a young woman doctor said
i looked at jenny and she looked at me
marley has to go to the hospital we told
the children
the doctors are going to try to make him
better
but he’s very sick
with jenny’s help i put marley into the
back of the car
he lay on the floor
i petted his head
oh marley i said again and again
at the hospital i helped him out of the
car and took him inside
the young doctor took him away
then she came back and showed me some
pictures of the inside of marley’s
stomach
i’m very sorry she said quietly
we can’t do anything for marley now
i understand i said
please can i say goodbye to him
yes of course she said
have as much time with him as you want
marley was asleep
i got down next to him and ran my
fingers through his fur
i held up each ear in my hands
i opened his mouth and looked at his
teeth
then i held up his front paw
i want you to understand something
marley i said
sometimes we called you the world’s
worst dog
but you’re not
we never told you this before
but you’re a great dog marley
a great dog
i sat with marley for a long time
then i called the doctor
i’m ready now i said
i held marley’s head and the doctor gave
marley something
it didn’t hurt him
he died quietly
i want to take marley home i said
two people brought a large black bag out
to my car
then i thanked the doctor and drove away
when i got home the children were in bed
i put my arms around jenny and we cried
for a long time
later we went outside
we took the black bag out of the car and
put it into the garage
next morning jenny told the children
about marley
they were very sad and started to cry
it’s okay i said
when you have a dog this always happens
dogs don’t live as long as people
connor made a picture and wrote a letter
for marley
to marley
i loved you all my life
you were always there when i wanted you
your brother connor richard grogan
colleen made a picture of a girl with a
big yellow dog she wrote under the
picture
i will never forget you marley
i found a very good place for marley in
the ground under two big fruit trees
i put the black bag in the ground and
jenny and the children watched
after i finished everybody said
we love you marley
then we went back to the kitchen and
told stories about marley sometimes we
laughed and sometimes we cried
the next days were very difficult
the house was very quiet
when i came home at night there was no
marley
jenny cleaned the house but his fur was
everywhere
one morning when i put on my shoes i
found some of marley’s fur inside them
marley was my dog for 13 years
he wasn’t an obedient dog
but he was important in my life
i wanted to tell other people about him
so i wrote about him in my newspaper
nobody called marley a great dog
or a good dog
he was wild and crazy
he had to leave obedience school
he chewed things and he wasn’t very
intelligent
but he understood people’s feelings and
he was very good with children
a person can learn a lot from a dog
because of him i listened to my feelings
because of him i enjoyed winter sunlight
and the snow and a walk in the woods
because of him
i can be a good friend
a dog can show us the important things
in life
a dog isn’t interested in fast cars or
big houses or expensive clothes
give a dog your love
and he will give you his
many people read about marley in the
newspaper
animal lovers called me and wrote to me
they wrote to me about their love for
dogs
they wrote about their feelings when
their dogs died
many people wrote funny stories about
their dogs
some people wrote
marley wasn’t the worst dog in the world
my dog’s the worst dog in the world
i began to feel better
i took the letters home and showed them
to jenny
she laughed too
winter came to an end and it was spring
our yard was full of flowers
i didn’t think about marley all the time
when i thought about him i usually
remembered the happy days
in many ways life without a dog was
easier
the house and the yard were clean
we could enjoy going out to dinner
but something about our family wasn’t
right
one morning jenny showed me the
newspaper
look at this
she said
it was an ad for a dog
i saw a photo of a big yellow labrador
i looked at the photo
then i looked again
that’s marley i said
it isn’t marley said jenny
look
under the photo was the dog’s name
lucky
i read
i’m looking for a new home and a new
family
i want a quiet home because i’m a little
wild
we read the ad and looked at the photo
again
we didn’t say anything for some time
then i said
we can go and look at him
yes
said jenny
why not
you