Newly married John and his wife Jenny were both animal lovers, and they decided to buy a dog for their home, prior to having children. The dog they acquired as a puppy rapidly grew into a strong adult, but despite their efforts at dog training, he mainly did not accept the authority and directions of his owners.
At times Marley used his great strength to destroy property, and tended to chew through doors, strongly built dog crates and even basement walls and doors, especially when impelled by his lifelong phobia of thunderstorms. At other times he dragged people and furniture around when he wished to socialize with other dogs or explore scents.
Marley stayed with his family as they moved from their original home to Boca Raton and up to Pennsylvania, and as they had their three children. On several occasions he showed deep empathy and a more serious side, comforting his mistress after a miscarriage, and protecting the victim and his owner when a neighbor was assaulted. Nearly rehoused during postpartum depression, he was allowed to stay and became a beloved companion of the children as they grew.
Marley & Me has been rewritten into three different books. One being for younger readers who would enjoy reading about Marley's story, minus the sexual content in the original book. The book is called Marley: A Dog Like No Other. The second book is a picture book for readers learning to read in lower grade levels called Bad Dog, Marley!. The third book is called Marley & Me: Illustrated Edition.