Fuck you, Marley and Me.

[Drunken Irishman]

Just fuck you.

:cry:

[Randall Flagg]

1. Let me guess....

You just read the book.

I read it right after I got my first yellow Lab.

My mother told me to read this.

[GoCubsGo]

7. He probably just saw the movie

I had the same reaction. I don't know if it was because Marley died, or because they paired up Owen Wilson with Jennifer Anniston. (I like them both, but that match-up just didn't work for me.)

[lukasahero]

9. I lost my 14 y.o. yellow Lab just before the movie came out

My dad begged me not to see it. (I'm 46.)

I read the book twice though before he passed and know how close to home the movie would hit so I planned to avoid it anyway.

[rebel with a cause]

2. Cesar Chavez the dog whisperer

told them that there was nothing wrong with their dogs, they were good dogs. He said that they were bad owners.

This was of course after Marley had died and they had a new female lab. They were complaining about her being as crazy as Marley. He trained them and the dog, so hopefully this time they did better with the dog. And yes, we cried when we watched the movie.

[Randall Flagg]

11. I have two of Labs

One yellow, one black. They are as different as day and night. The yellow is like Marley and the Black is laid back and mellow unless he's out playing with the yellow.

I think there's a lot to the personality of the dog itself. (And I cried like a five year old girl with the book and at the movie. I'm a glutton for punishment.)

[rebel with a cause]

16. Yeah, my lab mixes are very different from each other

Their two labs were different also. I agree that dogs have personalities that can vary. Why Cesar Millan (I put down the wrong name before) said that to them was because they where not taking responsibility for the dogs unwanted personality. He was not mad at them or talking bad to them.

I cried like a baby when I watched the movie, so don't feel bad.

[ET Awful]

14. Ummm, Cesar Chaves was a farm labor leader. . . Cesar Millan is the Dog Whisperer

:)

[rebel with a cause]

17. Yes, I realized that when I reread the message today.

:blush:

That should teach me not to post when I don't really feel like it. Excuses, Excuses. :rofl:

[BarenakedLady]

3. I bawled reading it

I bawled watching it.

:cry:

[denbot]

4. I watched Ol' Yeller at the drive-in over 40 years ago

No way am I going to read or see Marley and Me.

[PaddyBlueEyes]

5. Im still scarred from that....

nt

[Initech]

15. As my buddy puts it - way to combine Old Yeller with a chick flick.

[momto3]

6. My kids love that movie.

I hate it. I cry from the beginning since I know how it is going to end.

[GoCubsGo]

8. Y'all didn't happen to see this Sunday's "Parade Magazine", did you?

It's the one in the newspaper. They had an article by John Grogan. He and his family just moved to a new house. They dug up Marley and moved him, too. Why didn't they just cremate him? A box of ashes is much easier to transport.

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. Am I the only person who doesn't find the idea of a destructive dog endearing?

Yes, I realize it's the owner's fault he was allowed to be so destructive, but even so, why romanticize a dog that destroys your entire house? That movie sounded less than appealing to me. Maybe it's also because every lab I've ever known was just like Marley - big, stupid, and destructive.

[Brickbat]

12. Hee -- I've wondered the same thing myself!

I feel the same way when an ad tries to sell me something by showing kids that can't eat or drink something without getting it all over their faces. I don't see yummy food, I see yet another thing I have to wash! GAH!

[Drunken Irishman]

13. I don't like animals.

The only pet I could see myself with is a cat because they show just enough affection and they don't constantly bug you.

My aunt has two dogs and when I'm over there, they never leave me alone and it's really annoying. They're not very well behaved and jump on the furniture and jump on you.

But there was a time where I actually loved dogs.

My same aunt's first dog was adopted only months after I was born. We pretty much grew up together. She died in similar fashion to Marley when I was in elementary school. I was devastated. I still remember my mom waking me up in the morning to tell me. I just sat there and bawled in my bed.

So, this movie brought back a lot of memories.

[WildEyedLiberal]

21. Yeah, I'm sorry for raining on your parade in this thread

I usually hate people who enter a thread just to say something unnecessary and negative, so I apologize, because I just became that person. I do like animals, though I prefer cats to dogs for the same reason you do, but I've loved dogs, so I know what that triggered with you.

My only beef really with the Marley story is how it seems to market crappy pet training as "humorous," which is 90% of why labs are such unmanageable dogs - because most people who own them do nothing to channel their destructive, hyperactive tendencies in a positive manner. But that had nothing to do with your OP and again, sorry for being That Humorless Thread Ruiner.

[lukasahero]

25. Aw, I didn't make the connection you were the op

At first I read your post and thought, what a horrible person to come in here and rain on the OP's parade. Only to realize you ARE the OP. :hug:

[Drunken Irishman]

29. You're totally fine.

You were expressing an opinion and that's awesome.

Don't mistake my post as me endorsing the film. I really didn't like it. I am not a Jennifer Aniston fan and don't like Owen Wilson.

The ending, however, reminded me of the dog I mentioned. It happened very similar. Her stomach twisted, they fixed it and then a bit later, she died. It was my first real loss ever.

You're good. :)

:hug:

[rebel with a cause]

18. I have two lab mixes and neither of them are

big, stupid and destructive. Of course they are both female and that make a difference.

All puppies tend to be destructive as puppies. Especially if left alone too much.

[lukasahero]

19. My Lab was big, stupid and the gentlest creature I have ever known

He was not remotely destructive. Of course, he was raised not to be.

I remember being terribly annoyed at the author of this book noting he was doing everything wrong. The appeal of the book is that, even though the owner raised the dog all wrong, Marley's innate good nature was given moments to shine. He was a lovable and loving dog who had stupid inexperienced owners. By the end of the story, it's obvious he turned out ok anyway.

[WildEyedLiberal]

20. I think that's really what bothers me - the glorification of poor pet ownership

I don't really blame the dog for being destructive when it was never taught any limits, and it can't help being stupid - but I DO blame the owners for not teaching it to behave properly, and stuff like Marley and Me where horrible pet ownership decisions seem to be marketed as cute and funny - it just really gets on my nerves. I get why the movie and book appeal to people, especially people who've ever loved an animal, but that aspect of it really bothers me.

I do prefer my smart-as-a-whip little Welsh Corgi, though :)

[NashVegas]

22. If the Owners Are Willing to Tolerate It w/out Getting Abusive

I don't see a problem.

[WildEyedLiberal]

23. Lots of parents tolerate their kids behaving like hellions, too

That also bothers me. It's just a personal pet peeve - I hate seeing poor behavior reinforced and marketed as "cute" or "endearing."

[NashVegas]

30. I Can Get That

But it's not like the dog was going to grow up, rob homes, etc ...

[lukasahero]

24. Oh, I know - really, I do

When I was reading the book, I would rant to my husband about how the author was an idiot. I also think there might be just a little bit of exaggeration on the part of the author there. But I'm not really sure it's about 'horrible pet ownership'. I think it's about the stupid, good, bad, dopey and silly things dogs do. (I would feel differently if the author indicated any hint of aggression in the dog...)

My Lab was a really good dog but he still did stupid "bad" stuff on occasion that I identified with things in the book. My sister had a Mastiff with separation anxiety. Really well trained, just had issues. She said she was in tears reading some of the book because the author presented issues she could identify with in such a humorous way - it helped her deal with Zeus's destructive behavior (mind you - he was not ill-trained, he just had separation issues.)

I will always have a soft-spot for Labs (really, my guy was an angel in disguise) but my pup now is Basenji-Collie-Coonhound(-etc-etc-etc) and she has her own charming personality. They're all good. They're all amazing. I think M-and-M just hits a nerve with people that, good or bad, mischievous devil or perfect angel, dogs touch us in a unique way - and they are all a wonderful, amazing addition to our lives.

[Missy Vixen]

26. Our big chocolate Lab puppy's chewed stuff

He also knocked a hole in the dining room drywall.

Were we happy when he did it? No. He's just a puppy, though, and sometimes, they do stuff you don't want them to do. It doesn't mean we don't love him anymore.

I knocked the mirror off the driver's side window of our car once after a fight with my husband. Does it mean he doesn't love me anymore? No.

We knew he would be a handful when we got him. We knew the training would be tough and he'd probably do some stuff we weren't nuts about. The difference between our dog and the Grogans'? We've invested time and money to get him some obedience and training classes. We made a commitment to him. We'll keep that commitment.

[DevonRex]

27. No way can I watch that movie. We lost our 18-year-old corgi/lab mix

in the summer and I still can't bear to even think about pets dying, even if they're other people's pets. We love them so much and they're here for such a short time.

We have his ashes on the mantle. And I cried when it was time to put the Christmas stockings up this year because there wasn't a need to fill his stocking anymore.

[lukasahero]

28. :hug:

I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my Lab a year and a half ago and cried placing the stockings this year, too. :hug:

[DevonRex]

31. Awww. I know you loved your Lab dearly and he/she loved you, too.

Sometimes I think that's the purest kind of love we'll ever be given. And it's probably why we mourn them so deeply. :hug:

[graywarrior]

32. No shit.

I bawled for hours. I'm bawling now! Thanks a lot!!!