Marley & Me by John Grogan (2005, Hardcover)

This is a great book about the lifespan of a zany labrador retriever and the way the lives of the owner(s) change throughout the same period of time. Marley, the star of the book, is a great character - you never ever know what he will do next. He is extremely high spirited, but the owner may be right when he finally reads a chapter in a dog care book and realizes Marley may be "off the charts". Of course, my heart broke when Marley hit old age and the author had poignant words about the compressed lifespan of our canines and of course their gifts to us.