O meu pequeno mundo

Marley & Me
Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog

John Grogan

In memory of my father, Ric hard Frank Grogan, w hos e gentle s pirit infus es ev ery page of this book

Contents
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 About the Author Credits Copyright

About the Publisher

Preface

The Perfect Dog

In the summer of 1967, when I was ten years old, my father caved in to my persistent pleas and took me to get my own dog. Together we drove in the family station wagon far into the Michigan countryside to a farm run by a rough-hewn woman and her ancient mother. The farm produced just one commodity—dogs. Dogs of every imaginable size and shape and age and temperament. They had only two things in common: each was a mongrel of unknown and indistinct ancestry, and each was free to a good home. We were at a mutt ranch. “Now, take your time, son,” Dad said. “Your decision today is going to be with you for many years to come.” I quickly decided the older dogs were somebody else’s charity case. I immediately raced to the puppy cage. “You want to pick one that’s not timid,” my father coached. “Try rattling the cage and see which ones aren’t afraid.” I grabbed the chain-link gate and yanked on it with a loud clang. The dozen or so puppies reeled backward, collapsing on top of one another in a squiggling