Angie: Disclaimer: We are dog people. Not like we turn into werewolves but that we love the canine species.

Mandy: We love them so much we both have two. My family consists of my husband, Riley, and my two dogs. London is a snotty but lovable Yorkie, and Jake is a slightly overweight shih tzu.

Angie: Our little house on Fountain holds five of us. My husband, Josh, my son, Auslund, and our two dogs, Daisy and Lily. Daisy is a lab-collie mix and Lily is a min-pin. We may be Barkers, but it’s in name only. Unless a squirrel, rabbit or bird dares to encroach our humble lot of land. We have boundary issues.

Mandy: Is that why you never let me hug you?

Angie: I’ve never thought about it. Maybe that’s why I strategically placed a book between us in our photo.

Mandy: John Grogan, the author of “Marley and Me,” tells the story of his family through the antics of his notorious dog.

Angie: I gotta say that this was a book that I wanted as soon as I saw it. The picture of Marley on the front called to me across two Target aisles. Once I read the jacket, I knew I wanted to be a part of this dog’s misdeeds. I was hoping the tag line wasn’t kidding and he was the “world’s worst dog.”

Mandy: He really was a naughty dog.

Angie: The book was more than just funny anecdotes about a neurotic pooch. It’s about a family and the struggles of everyday life. Marley was just the exclamation point on their story.

Mandy: “Marley & Me” is a memoir. John and Jenny were newlyweds when they decided to adopt a puppy. Their hope was to one day start a family, but because of Jenny’s tumultuous relationships with household plants, she thought a dog would be a good practice run.

Angie: By the end of the book Marley wasn’t just a member of the family; he was a living life lesson. The charm of Marley isn’t that he was one of a kind, but every family’s dog. Anyone who’s owned a dog can relate to this story and sympathize with the Grogan family.

Mandy: Or laugh with them.

Angie: Or cry. I did twice by page 50.

Mandy: Do you need a hug?

Angie: Only if there is a book between us.

Mandy: You know those posters that say “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”? Well, they should have ones that say “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from my Dog.”

Angie: This book is that poster. Marley’s large size made his enthusiasm an obstacle. He was a big dog who loved life. The smells, the sounds, the people; he wanted to be a part of it all. And he met every new situation with a gusto that made me jealous. I wish I had Marley’s zeal. I wish we all did. It would be a much happier world. Grogan had the insight to share Marley’s Zen-like wisdom with the rest of us.

Mandy: Did you know Jake’s middle name is Buddha?

Angie: Shut your face.

Mandy: Really. His breed originated near the Himalayas and he has a round belly.

Angie: I think Daisy is British because she’s so proper. Not well mannered, but polite. I swear signs “thank you” when I feed her.

Mandy: It’s funny how dog owners, including the Grogans, project personality traits onto their pets. Jake and London often have heated political debates, due to the fact that Jake is a liberal and London is a conservative.

Angie: I’m not sure which way Lily swings. Probably both since she’s a hermaphrodite. True story. You can e-mail me if you want further information.

Mandy: The problem with us humans projecting onto our pets is that we take away the simplicity that makes them so appealing. Dogs don’t share the same complex emotions we do. They don’t feel compassion or insecurity. They aren’t angry when we come home late. They greet us with the same fervor whether we’ve been gone for five days or five minutes. They don’t judge. They just accept and love unconditionally. Without remorse or hesitation.

Angie: The allure of dogs is purely selfish. We get pets because we want something from the relationship. Be it something as practical as hunting and herding, or more self-serving, such as companionship. Then they ice the big doggy cake with a gut-rotting helping of staunch loyalty.

Mandy: They let us have our cake and eat it too.

Angie: Grogan was able to see Marley for what he was, he calls him a “mentor.” After reading this book, I too looked to my dogs for perspective. Maybe chasing ducks in the park is true enlightenment.

Mandy: Maybe all dogs are Buddhist.

Angie: Then everyone must have to come back as a dog to reach their enlightenment. Not such a bad fate really.

Mandy: I want to come back as a little dog owned by an affluent lady who’s never had children. And I want to be an only dog.

Angie: You’re coming back as a rich (expletive deleted).

Angie and Mandy live in Albert Lea with their canine spiritual gurus. E-mail them at bookendscolumn@gmail.com.