So, I never made it into the theaters to watch “Marley and Me” so I was excited when it came out on DVD this week. Its always exciting to me when there was a movie that I wanted to see but for whatever reason was not able to make it while it was in the theaters. I love movies so that doesnt happen that often.

It was a great family movie as it was done very clean. It was a great story and stayed pretty true to the book. I think that if you had never read the book before Marley would have come across as not that bad of a dog. One of the hardest things to do in a movie is good character development in the short time frame…I guess thats true even if the character is a dog.

The dog trainer in the movie was horrible. That was by far my least favorite scene. I think the producers owed Kathleen Turner a favor or something. luckily it was a short scene with the intent to show Marley was a tough dog to train. I guess it managed to make that point, but come on? Anyone else would have been better.

Im curious to see what effect the book and movie have on the Lab population. I know after movies like 101 dalmations, the dalmation population boomed. Labs are already at the top of the popularity list. Maybe the movie will have an adverse effect. It really doesnt matter, but the fact is the Labrador Retriever is a great breed and is the most popular for a good reason. The key as always is good training and socializing.

One of my favorite shows on t.v. is John and Kate plus 8. If you are not familiar with the show, it is a reality t.v. show about a family that had twins and than 4 yrs later sextuplets. The sextuplets are currently 4yrs old and they decided to get 2 German Shepherd puppies. Kate (the mother of the children) is not much of a dog lover and to make matters more interesting she is also a neet freak.

Its hard enough with 8 children (6 four year olds) to be very concerned about cleanliness but now to add to puppies…I think she is a little sadistic. Actually Kate always bugged me, the way she treats John (her husband) and how freaked out she can get about the smallest things. But I gained a ton of respect for her when she oked the puppies. I know it was all about her kids. She knew how much they would love those dogs so she forgot about her issues and made the sacrifice.

I am so interested to find out how it all plays out. The German Shepherd is a great breed and can make an awesome pet but because the are so smart you have to keep them busy. I hope they get the right puppy training to make them the pets they should be. John is a big dog lover and is pleased as can be to have these beautiful puppies. I hope that Kate falls in love with them. It will be fun to watch.

I know many people who are so passionate about dogs. They volunteer countless hours for dog rescues and shelters. What a blessing it is to have people like that in our world. Im am not just talking about these people but also the people that are passionate about world hunger, or drunk driving, rain forests or whatever it may be. There is not enough time to be able to actively work on all these things, thats what makes it so great that there are people out there doing something for what they feel passionate for.

Whatever your personal beliefs are, I dont think anyone can dispute that you just feel better when you are doing something to make a difference. It makes your life feel worth while. I am greatful to these people for making our world a better place for me, for my kids, and my animals. I hope that I am doing my part. I dont want to sit along the side lines wishing something was different. Lets get off our rear ends and do something about it!

Some of us our in positions in our lives where we may not have the time to do all we would like. Lets not have that as an excuse for doing nothing. There is always something we can be doing and maybe there will be a time when we can give more. The rewards are there if its 10min or 10hrs. The important thing is that we act.