John and Jenny were just starting their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house rather than a care in the world. Then they brought house Marley, a wriggly yellowish furball of a puppy. Life could not be the same.

Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever. He crashed through display screen doors, gouged through drywall, and stole women’s undergarments. Compliance school did no great — Marley was expelled.

Yet his heart was pure. Just like Marley joyfully refused any limitations on his behavior, his love and loyalty had been boundless, too. A puppy like no various other, Marley remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit’s end. Unconditional love, they would find out, will come in many forms.