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August 26th is International Dog Day and there have been many good dogs who have graced our movie screens. Good Boy!, Homeward Bound, and Beethoven are just a few of the movies that have warmed our hearts to the bond between humans and dogs. Whether you watch these with your dog or by yourself, these movies are sure to show you the love between the two species.
6. Megan Leavey
Based on a true story, Megan joins the marines, leaving behind her difficult life in order to find something better. After basic training and cleaning the dog kennels as a punishment for a night out gone wrong, Megan gets paired up with Rex, a stubborn German Shepherd seemingly unfit for combat. After they both come to an understanding, they are deployed on a road sweep mission. After checking the road and surrounding areas for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) they come into contact with an IED. They both survived the explosion, but Megan was injured and honorably discharged while Rex continued to be on active duty.
Megan began working on getting enough people to sign a petition that would allow her to adopt Rex once he was able to come home, which resulted in news coverage of her struggle. Without this adoption, Rex could have been put to sleep instead of living out the rest of his life with Megan. This story is perfect for International Dog Day as it shows the process it takes to bond with a traumatized dog and how real that bond feels between both dog and human. You can see this bond every time Megan and Rex are shown on screen together, ready to take on their next challenge.
5. A Dog’s Way Home
You need to have your tissues ready for this one on International Dog Day. A Dog’s Way Home is about a boy named Lucus finding and taking care of a Pit Bull mix named Bella. We see the struggles the family goes through after Bella accidentally escapes from the house and narrowly misses being taken into animal control because she is an off-leash Pit Bull. Lucus ends up dropping her off at a relative’s house in a Pit Bull-friendly area until he can move into a more accepting neighborhood himself.
However, Bella takes it upon herself to find her way back home to Lucus and we follow her adventure through the mountains, making friends with a mountain lion, and stealing a family’s steak. This movie hits home for all Pit Bull lovers out there who know the breed is harshly judged for their appearance and strong bite force but still have a heart of gold. And for people that are afraid of Pit Bulls, Bryce Dallas Howard voices Bella, bringing a sweet and happy voice to a well-loved dog.
4. I Am Legend
For action movie lovers, I Am Legend follows Dr. Robert Neville and his German Shepherd, Sam, as he searches for a cure for the plague that has taken over the world. Sam is protected from the airborne virus and continues to keep Neville company as he tries to find survivors every morning in the light of day.
While this may seem like a strange choice for an International Dog Day movie, this movie is definitely a tense example of a strong bond between man and dog. This movie shows how dogs can provide comfort even if they can’t talk to you. Sam has a way of calming Neville down in the most stressful situations. Neville also sees Sam as a daughter and places himself in stressful situations to make sure Sam is okay.
A lot of people say there is nothing they wouldn’t do for their dog, but this movie really showcases a worst case scenario. Despite these horrific conditions, Neville does everything he can in order to make sure Sam is as safe as he can make her under the strange circumstances. We can definitely see in the first half of the movie how much having a dog affects Neville’s happiness and sanity.
3. Beethoven
A classic for any big dog lover on International Dog Day, Beethoven shows that slobber, misbehavior, and muddy paws can’t deter a strict father when the kids have already grown attached to the lovable dog. Beethoven comes into this family and constantly causes a mess from the first moment he steps inside, according to the father of the family.
This movie shows the bond between a dog and the three children that become his family. Beethoven saves Ted from bullying, Emily from drowning, and helps Ryce talk to the cute boy in her class. Beethoven seems to be the glue that brings the family together, causing them to be happier at the end of the movie than when we first meet them.
2. Good Boy!
For International Dog Day, this movie is for dog lovers and Alien believers! Owen has moved house to house most of his life since his parents were home renovators. This results in Owen having no friends which lead to his mom promising that on his birthday he can adopt a dog. As the perfect answer to a promise like that, Hubble enters the atmosphere and crash lands on earth much like Stitch was sent down from outer space to be the perfect pet for Lilo in Lilo and Stitch.
Hubble is an intergalactic dog from the Dog Star, Sirius, and has returned to Earth in order to see if dogs still ruled the world. Once he is adopted by Owen, he accidentally leads Owen back to his ship and tries to contact his home, but his communications device explodes which results in Owen being able to hear the dogs talk.
Once Owen and Hubble talk about Hubble’s mission from Sirius, Owen decides to take Hubble on his dog-walking route to meet the other dogs Owen cares for. Hubble sees that the dogs have become the pets to humans and he runs a crash course to all of the other dogs in the neighborhood to get them prepared for the visit from The Greater Dane, who rules Sirius.
This is one of the goofier dog movies I have seen, but it is one of my favorites for International Dog Day. You get to see the bond between five different families and their five different dogs. In most dog movies, we see the bond between one person and one dog. While that is still great, having the different personalities of the families mix with the different personalities of each dog really brings out the bond you can grow with a dog that is like you. Also, for International Dog Day, it shines a good light on adopting your dog from a shelter.
1. Homeward Bound
My favorite dog movie ever for International Dog Day. This movie shows the bond between the pets and their human family members. Shadow, Chance, and Sassy are dropped off at the owner’s friend’s farm while the family moves for the father’s job. Shadow, an old Golden Retriever owned by Peter, Chance, an overexcited American Bull Dog, and Sassy, a Himalayan cat owned by Hope, make their way home through the mountains in order to get back to their owners. Many problems occur resulting in the viewers being unsure if these three pets will make it back to their owners.
The bond between these three pets is unlikely but extremely heartwarming. When adding a new pet to your home, you always hope their bond with each other can become this strong after seeing this movie. In addition, all three animals act like close friends with each other rather than acting like a group of pets would normally act around each other.
The ending scene shows the three children reuniting with their pets, each one showing their bond through their greeting. Chance’s floppy ears and exciting gallops were met with Jamie’s squeezing hug, Hope running and picking up Sassy holding her close, and Peter meeting a limping Shadow halfway towards each other are sure ways to get tears to spring in your eyes on International Dog Day. Especially if you have a pet of your own.
Honorable International Dog Day Movie Mentions
Obviously, you can’t make an International Dog Day Movie list without mentioning Air Bud and Marley & Me. Air Bud was a Golden Retriever that played all kinds of sports with his owner ranging from basketball to soccer. The movie also started a franchise based on Air Bud’s puppies and they all have their own movie series called Air Buddies. Marley & Me shows you the ups and downs of owning a dog along with how painful it is to lose one of your best friends. Honestly, I stopped the movie before it got too sad.
Hold Your Dogs Close
Anytime I watch one of these movies, I have to make sure my dog is close to me and ready for snuggles. There are, of course, plenty of other dog movies that will tug at your heart strings and make you go searching through your house for a hug from your dog, but these are a few classics to get you started. For International Dog Day, I hope you get to spend it wrapped up in a blanket and cuddling with your best friend.
