Some holidays are ruff, and that’s certainly the case with National Dog Day! As we commemorate the annual celebration of canines, take some time out today and think about your favorite movie pooch. (And be sure to check out our Dog Days of Summer posts). While we always get bummed out by (spoiler alert) movies where dogs pass away like Old Yeller, Turner and Hooch, and Marley and Me — to name a few — we still love seeing cute and cuddly pups on the big screen.
Here then are some musings on cinematic canines:
One of our favorite films about dogs is Best in Show. Released in 2000, Christopher Guest‘s mockumentary is as sharp and biting as a rabid Doberman Pinscher thanks to its chronicling of the experiences of an offbeat group of pet owners who all want their animals to win the prestigious Mayflower Dog Show.
Another recent favorite is pictured above, Wes Anderson‘s whimsical Isle of Dogs, a stop-motion animated tale that alternately touched and charmed us.
Cujo is like a movie smear campaign against pet ownership. I prefer dogs being lovable as opposed to murderous.
Don’t even get us started on the emotional tour de force that is Hachi: A Dog’s Tale. Sheesh, that one hits us hard. Check it out, but be prepared to be emotionally wrecked for a bit after viewing yet. If you’ve seen the Futurama episode “Jurassic Bark,” you know what you’re in for here…
And of course, we’d be remiss if we also didn’t mention classic cinematic canines like Lassie and Benji.
The point here is of course that dogs make life better, either on screen or lying by your feet in real life. (Shout out to all the other dogs from books and TV who have had a sizable impact on pop culture).
We encourage you to take some time to catch up with your favorite dynamic doggos today, and let us know which of these canine characters are your favorites below in the comments!
This doggone good post originally ran in 2018, and is being reprinted here because dogs are the best, always.