Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After reading the reviews for this book, I understand why my mother thought I would enjoy it as my boyfriend and I have three rescued dogs with a vast array of issues. Having read the book - I am perplexed at the lack of commentary by other dog lovers on the treatment of this "beloved" dog. I would love to hear from other readers who were as disturbed as I was from the archaic treatment of this family pet. 1. They buy the dog from a back yard breeder as "practice" for a baby while millions of dogs are euthanized every year because there are not enough homes for them. He later describes Marley as "his problem" that he has to deal with and isn't it great that he decides not to dump "his problem" on someone else. 2. Marley is given a "home" in the garage - enough said. 3. One of the most disturbing aspects of the book was the "training" that Marley was given. Listening to the author happily describe numerous times the choking sound as he yanked the metal choke collar again and again made me sick to my stomach. Never mind the fact that a dogs instinct is to pull against something that is choking them in an attempt to get away from the discomfort, the slightest sense of humanity would tell you that the sounds he was making were out of not being able to breathe!!! 4. I could go on and on as to the ways that this book was the antithesis for loving your pet but this part of the book brought tears to my eyes. Having previously described how Marley tried to keep Jenny company while she was on bed rest, this passage absolutely broke my heart and infuriated me at the same time. The author describes how his wife was suffering from post-partum depression and lauds her for never taking it out on the kids. Bravo. He then mentions how "regretfully" she did decide to take it out on Marley. The nastiness and coldness were enough to make my skin crawl but when I hear him describe his wife BEATING the dog with her fists that did it for me. She then goes on to tell him that he has to "get rid" of Marley. Great. Blindly buy a dog from a back yard breeder without any sort of research. "Train" the dog by choking it with a metal collar around his neck. Keep him in the garage. Finally, ignore the dog (he was only "practice" anyways) and then physically and emotionally abuse him once you have kids. I guess what bothers me more than anything is how so many people agree that this is a story about a family and their beloved pet. How can you applaud someone for not being cruel to their own children and then in the next breath describe them beating their submissive helpless animal that they brought into their home? Are we supposed to like these people? To sum it up - IF I WERE TO COME HOME TO FIND MY BOYFRIEND BEATING MY DOG - THE DOG WOULD NOT BE THE ONE LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME!!!