When I found out my neighbors dog was diagnosed with a terminal illness I tried to think of a way I could help. I have not experienced the loss of a dog yet but I have experienced loss, I have experienced grief. And I hate it- I want to beat it! But I know that if I did I would no longer be able to love because grief is love. Maybe the best way I could help my friends as they came face to face with their dog’s death would be documenting the precious life and love they would soon be grieving. The life they would always love and often, especially in the beginning, long for. Here’s Marley’s story:

We got Marley when we were out to dinner. We had a wait at a restaurant and right next door there was a pet shop. We took the boys to look at the pets to pass the time. Oscar was 3 and Ben was 6. There was this dog that was quarantined from all the other dogs and we were like what’s wrong with that one? He was just a puppy and he looked like a lab.

We took him home and the kids called him Marley because the movie, Marley and Me was out around that time. We’ve had him a year longer than we’ve had Grace.

When he was a puppy he used to curl up in a little ball and he looked just like a little cotton ball. He had floppy ears, it was pretty cute. One ear flopped down and one went straight up. We started to think we had gotten a fox.

He was literally the most chill dog. Gentile. Docile. He grew up with the kids and toddlers – they beat on them. He just took it.

He never snipped, never snapped back. He sniffed filet before eating it. He was spoiled. He didn’t bark. He wanted to be in your sight. Anytime the kids came over for piano he jumped up in his chair.

 I don’t think I ever yelled at him. -Josh

My favorite thing to do with Marley was laying with him and watching movies. Just cuddling… -Oscar

I liked taking him on walks and running with him. -Ben

He loved the guinea pigs. He never tried to eat them, he just licked them. -Grace

We’re going to miss the running more than anything. -Heather

Everybody in the running community around here has run with him. I’ve taken him on all these group runs so everybody knows who Marley is.

Losing a dog is like losing a best friend.

 They’re with us everyday.

In loving memory of Marley 2010-2019

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” –Will Rogers

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