Marley and Me

John stood outside, pacing up and down the street. He was hoping for the best, but knew the time had come deep within. His phone kept ringing every hour, he would answer and try and sound positive for his family. "Marley is doing everything he can," he said. "All we can do is pray." Putting he head against the cool, damp wall, John thought back to ten years ago, when Marley was just pup. The dog drove him crazy, but taught him so much about life. As John strolled down memory lane, the vet was inside, doing everything she could for Marley.

It didn't take long for the vet to realize that there was nothing she could do. She walked outside and grabbed John's sweaty hands. "It's time to say goodbye, he's ready to go," she said. John slowly walked through the vet's office, although it was a very small place, John made it seem like it was huge, taking the smallest steps, almost like a toddler. John entered the room to see Marley panting heavily. "Take as much time as you need," the vet said.

John stroked Marley as he talked to him. "You've been a great dog," John said. " You don't have to suffer anymore." He said his goodbyes and Marley licked John on the face, as if saying his last goodbye. John broke down, not in a way that most people think of breaking down, instead John was laughing with tears in his eyes. His memories strolled to all of the good times and he new that it was time to put Marley out of his misery.

John opened the door. "It's time," he said. The vet walked in and got the needle ready. "Will it hurt," John asked. "He won't feel a thing," she said. John held Marley's paw until all of the fluid exited the needle, within seconds the heavy pants had stopped.

"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see."