Marley & Me author for Dublin dog do
ONE of the world’s most famous dog lovers will be the guest of honour at today’s Doggie Do in Dublin’s Herbert Park.
John Grogan, author of the hugely successful book Marley & Me, is in Ireland to support the Dogs Trust’s annual event.
Grogan shot to fame with his heart-warming tale of life with Marley, the ‘world’s worst dog’. The book was made into a hit movie starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.
Grogan told the Irish Mail on Sunday of his love of Ireland, his Limerick roots and his excitement at judging Best Dressed Dog at today’s event.
‘My wife Jenny and I came here when we were newlyweds. It was a post-wedding trip, a year after we got married, and the big trip. We did the whole typical Irish American thing. We went over to the west coast and found the hometown my great-great grandfather was from,’ he said.
‘It’s a little town called Broadford in Limerick. My Dad had done some genealogical research and he had it pinned down to this town. We went in and sure enough there was the Grogan family there and we spent the day with them. It was super fun.’
Marley & Me told the story of Grogan’s life with his destructive golden labrador who was his best friend. ‘I was as surprised as anyone how it took off – not just in America but across the world,’ he said.
‘It was a story about a dog but it was really more than that. It was a story about a couple falling in love and finding their way.’
The author told the IMoS he now has two labradors, one of whom starred in the movie.
‘I have two dogs now, they are very different than Marley. Both are calm and normal, Woodson and Wallace. Woodson was a gift from the Marley & Me movie. He was one of the puppies in the early scenes in the movie.’
Grogan and his wife will be on-hand to name the most stylish dog of Dublin at the event later today, which gets under way at 1pm.