Dad vs. Dog

John Grogan, currently on tour promoting The Longest Trip Home, has found (according to The Austin Statesman) that his audience would rather talk about dogs than God or Grogan's father, who is a featured presence in the memoir.

Grogan's previous book was the bestselling "Marley & Me," a tale of life with his lab. And while it is hard to talk about dogs who win one's heart, perhaps Grogan just needs a more action packed funeral scene — the one in his book involves seeing how much his dad touched the lives of others. Perhaps he should have tarted up his book with a story of how he learned his dad wasn't actually in the casket — like the Louisiana Garza family did after 14 years. Or maybe audiences would be more interested in people rather than animals if he had gotten himself tasered at his dad's funeral, like North Carolina piece o'work Gladwyn Taft Russ III.

Really, a dead dog should not be more compelling than a deceased dad.