Long before the book came out, there was Marley (my dog) and me. I wanted to write a quick post to say farewell to Marley, who passed away earlier this week. Marley lived a long and good life, and was a great dog. I got her from a friend while I was in college. She was a very rambunctious puppy, and his room mates were treating her very poorly. He asked me if I would take her, because he just did not know what to do with her. I agreed to take Shayna (her original name), and was rewarded with an absolutely awesome dog. The first thing I did was change her name to Marley, the moniker by which she would carry the rest of her long life.
She survived countless college parties, lengthy excursions ( after escaping from my apartment ) through the Wright State Library and Rike Hall. Miraculously, she always managed to make it back home — sometimes through the aid of friends who would help me search around campus for her. Sure, she could be a challenge at times, but she was always a loyal and loving Beagle.
Through many of my ups and downs, Marley was there. A loyal companion. Later in life, as work forced me into jobs where I needed to travel extensively, my parents adopted Marley. This arrangement quickly became permanent, as my mother and father decided it was nice to have her around. They didn’t want to give her back, and she had it made in the shade. So as a result, I got to see Marley plenty, and my folks got to enjoy many years with her too.
In recent months Marley’s health began to deteriorate, as tends to happen with old dogs. Still, she lived a long and full life of 16 years, and she taught me so much in the process. Marley, wherever you are, let me say to you one last time “good girl.” You were a great dog.
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