What could be better than seeing a cute puppy on the front of a movie box? Not only to my son, but to me. Yes, I will freely admit that I got suckered into watching the likes of Marley & Me. Not once, mind you, but because the antics of this cantankerous force of canine destruction we so appealing to my 8-year-old, I was relagated to viewing it multiple times.
What is interesting to note, is that the main character, John Grogen, gets the dog, Marley, because he fears that his wife, Jennie, maybe getting baby-fever. And, what better way to practice parenting skills than to get a dog together? So John and Jennie set off to become the happy parents of a Labrador. After countless mishaps, I myself can feel the surge of anxiety that surely this couple must have felt with the torment this dog puts them through. The inadequacy with which they train their dog, and the permissiveness and fickleness in their respective characters is enough to make me want to vomit.
The problem with this movie is that it is art immitating life. I have seen so many people struggle to control their dogs. Now, if you have a dog that is well over 60 pounds, do you still think it is cute when said animal jumps on people? I think not.
And then John and Jennie go on to have children. Yikes! Perhaps we should strongly consider temporarily sterilizing anyone who cannot adequately train their dog before they have children. Do I hear a yea?
As I watch Marley destroy just about everything in his path ranging from sofas to bed pillows, I feel myself getting increasingly irritated at the total lack of control John and Jennie have over the dog. And, because I am a parent and a former dog owner, I feel I have the right to pass judgment on this issue. What strikes me as interesting as well, is that it does not occur to our happy couple to start training their dog until it has reached nearly 100 lbs of uncontrollable mass.
Umm, folks, news flash at 11? One should start training a dog when it is still a puppy. It should know who is boss from the first day it enters your home. Hmm...interesting....sort of like, say...having a child!
As my unease with Marley continues to climb, and Marley continues to live the unrestrained life, I can't believe my eyes that John and Jennie embark on their next adventure -- having children. Say it ain't so!
OK, I'll admit Marley and me has some tender and comical moments. But what is interesting to note is how many dog owners (and parents) have assumed the role of being Mr or Mrs Nice Guy instead of laying the foundation for well-behaved dogs and children from the beginning.
Whether the media is precisely trying to hammer home my point, poking fun at young couples who can't seem to manage their dogs, or whether it is aiming to depict-- and accurately at that-- what is going on all over the country, I can't be sure. What I am sure of is that this situation will never occur in my home, where I, as Queen of the Castle, also known as Mom, am in charge.
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