{"id":1509,"date":"2009-01-07T05:30:40","date_gmt":"2009-01-07T05:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/beyondblue\/2009\/01\/marley-me-the-real-story.html"},"modified":"2009-01-07T05:30:40","modified_gmt":"2009-01-07T05:30:40","slug":"marley-me-the-real-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2009\/01\/marley-me-the-real-story.html","title":{"rendered":"Marley & Me: The Real Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to know the real story behind “Marley & Me”? This USA Today article from the bestselling author John Grogan is an interesting read.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sometimes amazing gifts come in small packages, and sometimes they come wrapped in soft white fur. So it was with Woodson.
\nHe came into my life at a most unexpected time — as I stood with my wife and 11-year-old daughter on a movie set outside Philadelphia counting my blessings that the comically mischievous canines lined up to portray Marley, “the world’s worst dog,” were not my headaches to worry about.
\nAfter all, I’d already paid my dues on that front. I’m the guy who lived with the real Marley for 13 years and who wrote the book “Marley & Me,” on which the upcoming movie is based.
\nBut as we stood off camera watching Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston prepare to film another scene from our life, in walked Mark Forbes, the movie’s chief animal trainer, and with him was a little white fur ball with a black nose and bright eyes. Woodson was one of several puppies drafted into service to portray the young Marley, and at the ripe age of 15 weeks, his acting career was over.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To continue reading, click her<\/a>e.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want to know the real story behind “Marley & Me”? This USA Today article from the bestselling author John Grogan is an interesting read. Sometimes amazing gifts come in small packages, and sometimes they come wrapped in soft white fur. So it was with Woodson. 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