Marley & Me and other dog movies

 

I watched "Marley & Me" this past Saturday night.  I kind of avoided the movie because I'm not really much of a Jennifer Aniston fan.  But I couldn't resist it when one of my sisters said she had a copy of it and hadn't watched it yet.  So I asked her to bring it over and we made it a family movie night.

Boy, I didn't expect to be in tears when the veterinarian told John (played by Owen Wilson) that Marley would not likely survive the only surgery that could take care of his very serious stomach condition.  Then that one scene of an aging Marley laying outside under a tree reminded me of my own dog when he got old and wasn't coming inside anymore when I called him.  I always found him laying in the same spot in the backyard, under the same tree. It broke my heart thinking perhaps he didn't want to be with me anymore.  But now I guess that was just a canine thing they do when their time with us is almost up.  Maybe they just didn't want us to see them "go"?

These dog movies really get me emotional, I must admit.  Maybe I've just learned to bond with my dog to the point that I feel like there's a human side to dogs?  Perhaps that's why scenes like that in the family movie "Airbud" where Bud's cruel original owner reclaimed him made me so upset.  Man, I just wanted to rescue Bud myself!

There are so many dog movies out there that are just as touching as these two movies.  Perhaps the one that remains a classic for all would be "Old Yeller".  If you're a Generation Y-er who hasn't yet seen "Old Yeller" be prepared to cry.  That movie can really bring you to tears even if you don't normally cry during movies.