There is no love quite like that which both men and women (and children) have for “man’s best friend,” and there is quite possibly no film genre as emotionally triggering as the dog movie – especially when it has a sad ending, for instance with the dog dying after years of loving its human family unconditionally. (Even without dramatic demises, these are the dogs with the shortest lifespan.)
Sad endings are common in canine cinema. The dog is arguably Hollywood’s most endangered class of hero. Nonetheless, whether it’s in a live-action movie or in animation, dogs have shown that they are often an integral part of what makes a film great – and that humans need them. (Here are the 25 most iconic pets in movie history.)
To determine the best dog movies, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings of movies centering around a dog or multiple dogs on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of August 2022, weighting all ratings equally.
Click here to see the best dog movies of all time
While cinematic canines might often elicit an “Awwww,” the movies on the list are more than just cute. They all have something important to convey about the bond between us and our dogs, and frequently end up telling us more about the humans in the equation than the animals.
25. A Dog’s Journey (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (21,897 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (2,971 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 51% (85 reviews)
> Human cast: Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Kathryn Prescott
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24. The Call of the Wild (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (43,887 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (9,368 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 62% (206 reviews)
> Human cast: Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Cara Gee
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23. The Fox and the Hound (1981)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (88,436 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (313,418 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (27 reviews)
> Human cast: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey
22. Wendy and Lucy (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (17,645 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (12,195 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (185 reviews)
> Human cast: Michelle Williams, Lucy, David Koppell
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21. Lassie (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (4,326 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (48,203 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (70 reviews)
> Human cast: John Lynch, Samantha Morton, Peter O’Toole
20. Eight Below (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (63,060 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (374,344 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (152 reviews)
> Human cast: Paul Walker, Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood
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19. Frankenweenie (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (102,021 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (67,740 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (222 reviews)
> Human cast: Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short
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18. My Dog Tulip (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (1,655 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (2,534 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (60 reviews)
> Human cast: Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave, Isabella Rossellini
17. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (44,277 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (266,925 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (30 reviews)
> Human cast: Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Don Alder
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16. Dog (2022)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (25,924 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (2,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (155 reviews)
> Human cast: Channing Tatum, Ryder McLaughlin, Aavi Haas
15. Heart of a Dog (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (2,270 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (2,695 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (90 reviews)
> Human cast: Laurie Anderson
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14. Bolt (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (198,674 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (315,393 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (189 reviews)
> Human cast: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman
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13. The Plague Dogs (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (7,530 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (3,087 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (8 reviews)
> Human cast: John Hurt, Christopher Benjamin, James Bolam
12. White Dog (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (9,367 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (2,325 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (13 reviews)
> Human cast: Kristy McNichol, Christa Lang, Vernon Weddle
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11. Red Dog (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (17,427 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (3,606 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (36 reviews)
> Human cast: Josh Lucas, Rachael Taylor, Rohan Nichol
10. Megan Leavey (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (22,776 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (10,457 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (104 reviews)
> Human cast: Kate Mara, Ramon Rodriguez, Tom Felton
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9. Lassie Come Home (1943)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (5,243 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (6,064 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (16 reviews)
> Human cast: Roddy McDowall, Donald Crisp, May Whitty
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8. Sounder (1972)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (3,940 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (1,942 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (21 reviews)
> Human cast: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks
7. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (128,231 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (861,349 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (43 reviews)
> Human cast: Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee
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6. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (159,886 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (709,402 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (52 reviews)
> Human cast: Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, J. Pat O’Malley
5. Snoopy Come Home (1972)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (4,474 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (3,452 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (14 reviews)
> Human cast: Chad Webber, Robin Kohn, Stephen Shea
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4. Old Yeller (1957)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (12,743 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (51,327 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (21 reviews)
> Human cast: Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk
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3. Isle of Dogs (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (151,258 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (9,249 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (367 reviews)
> Human cast: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton
2. Best in Show (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (59,123 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (56,525 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (115 reviews)
> Human cast: Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara
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1. Togo (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (43,098 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,073 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (39 reviews)
> Human cast: Willem Dafoe, Julianne Nicholson, Christopher Heyerdahl
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