I am not a dog person. We own a dog named Annie that we got from the humane society, and who is "technically" my wife's dog. She's lovable, sweet, and intensely loyal, even if she's completely unable to play fetch, find food dropped immediately in front of her, or figure out how to walk on a track. She can, however, run away every chance she gets, eat food off of the counter that she's not supposed to, tear up important papers left somewhere they shouldn't be, and drag my relatives down the steps. Basically, she's my version of Marley.

Marley & Me: Life & Love with the World's Worst Dog, the book by John Grogan, became Marley & Me the movie, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. Wilson and Aniston are John and Jenny Grogan, newlyweds who adopt the yellow Labrador, Marley, who is on "clearance." It's clear early on that there's a reason they can buy Marley on the cheap, but Marley proves to be as funny and loyal as he is mischievous. He's the kind of dog that spawns funny stories you tell your friends, after you've spent hours cleaning up... or scary moments in the E.R. explaining why your dog swallowed "that." And the real-life Marley proves to be the dog who provided the real-life Grogan with the material for a column in the local paper, and finally, the book.

I wanted to see Marley & Me because my wife raved about the book, and read portions of it aloud to me, as she giggled uncontrollably. Don't be fooled though, this one is a tear-jerker, and it will drag you kicking and screaming through obedience school, child-raising and more, before making you examine your own relationship to your pets, children and spouse. And somehow, there's the added bonus of considering Wilson (supposedly recovering from a suicide attempt in 2007) and Aniston (recovering from her various relational missteps) playing the roles of a couple working out their ups and downs of life. Can a dog really provide the glue that holds a family together, provide the shoulder to cry on in the sad moments and a friend to cheer with in the victories? Well, Marley can.

Switching gears, Eric Dane (probably best known as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy) plays Grogan's newspaper pal, Sebastian, who takes the "other" male path in life. He refuses to settle down, instead playing the field, and takes every far-off, dangerous press opportunity that his editors can offer. And he's not quite detrimental to or critical of Grogan's own choices (marriage, dog, children) but he provides the foil for Wilson's Grogan in the movie. And in doing so, he raises questions about community, responsibility and what life really means...when Marley isn't on the screen.

Marley lives a life of freedom that breathes freshness into the Grogans' lives, uniting them and bonding them all together even when things (miscarriages, job frustration, squabbles) could tear the average couple apart. Marley is the great unifier, and in the end, he's the great teacher about all things loving, loyal, and even eternal. I have to admit that I was "fine" in my tough male universe until the end, even as the middle Grogan child calls Marley "my brother." The relationships that the Grogans have with Marley isn't one of master but it's rather of loyal friend or child, sibling.

Jesus told his disciples that they should not lord things over each other the way that the Gentiles did, but that they should become servants to each other. It's this kind of love that Marley exhibits, against the odds of Kathleen Turner's obedience school trainer and all the expectations put on the Grogans in dealing with him. He's loyal and loving, and his example seems to be echoed in their relationships with each, and the way they raise their children to behave. Marley becomes a disciple of love, but in the end, the disciple has become the master.