Marley & Me

Several people had recommended Marley & Me, so when I saw it at a garage sale over the weekend for 75 cents, I went ahead and got it. DH started reading it today and is already mildly pissed off at the owners for the following reasons:

a) They did no research on what kind of dog to get before going and plunking down hundreds of dollars on Marley. At least they did look into it before the dog came home, but still. Seriously, if you are considering getting a dog do a little research on different breeds, traits, general personality, maintenance.

At one point DH thought that it would be cool to have a Pug, but then found out that you have to keep their face wrinkles dry or they can develop yeast infections in them, and that their eyes protrude so far that they can occasionally pop out and you have to pop them back into place. Having a Pug didn't seem all that cool after that.

b) They listened to friends with dogs who told them not to worry about training when they first brought Marley home. DH and I read quite a few books in preparation for River and every one of them said to start training immediately. Puppies can pick up things incredibly quickly and it's not like putting their bottom on the ground and getting a treat for it when they hear "sit" is hard work. There are lots of ways to play while training and the earlier the better.

c) They listened to friends who told them to solve the jumping up problem by kneeing the dog in the chest. Really? That's the best way to solve a behavior problem? Kicking your dog?

Now, DH says that there are some pretty funny stories in there, so he's still reading, but I'm getting the full commentary.