Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the movies mentioned.Sometimes we all need a movie that will bring us back to reality, touch our hearts, and even let a tear drop down our faces. Movies with dogs are serious tearjerkers that will make you appreciate the little things in life, like hugging and walking your dog. They remind you to slow down and smell the roses.
There are many movies about dogs, most of which will make you burst into tears multiple times, such as Marley & Me, A Dog’s Purpose, and Hachi: A Dog’s Tale. These sad dog movies will not disappoint if you’re looking for a good cry, or to simply feel closer to your pet or animals in general. Onscreen canine companions add a layer of reliability for moviegoers, truly catering to the entire family, including the furry ones. Most movies follow the golden rule of not killing the dog, while others are left with no option, making the watch an even more emotional experience. From based on true stories to literary classics, the saddest movies that prompt viewers to track down their four-legged companions are undoubtedly worth the heartbreak.
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‘Rescued by Ruby’ (2022)
This Netflix original depicts the emotional, tear-jerking journey of the dog distribution system; the right dog finding you at the right time. Dan (Grant Gustin) is a Rhode Island state trooper determined to join the K9 Search & Rescue Team, while Ruby, an unlucky shelter dog, is losing hope of finding a home. The pair are brought together by fate, and it becomes a story of who saved whom. Rescued by Ruby is based on the true story of Trooper Daniel O’Neil and his rescue dog, Ruby.
The movie hits home for a lot of viewers who stand behind the “adopt don’t shop” mentality, looking at the world of animal shelters through a dog’s eyes. Whether Netflix subscribers hug their current pup, foster dog, or get in the car to the nearest animal shelter, Rescued by Ruby brings the whole family together, paws included.
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‘My Dog Tulip’ (2009)
My Dog Tulip is a hand-drawn animated gem narrated by Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer and chronicles 15 years of chaotic love between writer J.R. Ackerley and his “unmanageable” rescue shepherd Tulip. From destroyed furniture to humiliating public matings, their bond is raw and real.
The finale wrecks you subtly: Tulip’s hips fail, her eyes cloud, and Ackerley makes “the call”. As the vet administers the needle, Ackerley whispers, “You’ve been my friend,” while Tulip sighs like she’s finally free of pain. Like Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog on this list, the film’s lack of a dramatic score makes it more haunting. It’s a love letter to imperfect companionship that ends with the quietest devastation. You’ll need tissues to get through seeing Tulip’s weak last wag as the needle enters. —Namwene Mukabwa
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‘A Dog’s Way Home’ (2019)
A Dogs Way Home – Owner Cuddling Dog
A Dog’s Way Home is an adventure drama released in 2019. It is very similar to the story of Lassie, except the dog (Shelby) can speak to viewers. She is sent miles away from her owner, who is supposed to meet her there soon after. However, Shelby does not know this and escapes to find her hometown and her owner again.
A Dog’s Way Home is extremely emotional from the start, showing her desperate travels to find her owner, but it has a happy ending that will leave you appreciating a dog’s love and loyalty. A Dog’s Way Home was directed by Charles Martin Smith and is a soul-hugging movie to watch with family and friends.
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‘Fluke’ (1995)
What if your dead husband came back as your rescue dog? Fluke is a surreal ’90s cult classic starring Matthew Modine as Thomas, an alcoholic man reborn as a stray pup after a fatal car crash. Fluke’s quest to reconnect with his widow (Nancy Travis) and young son is as heartwarming as it is tragic, especially when he realizes his own actions caused his death.
The climax forces Fluke to choose between his identity and traumatizing his family, or vanishing silently. He licks his son’s tears goodbye and runs into the woods, howling with human grief in a dog’s body. It’s a hybrid of Pet Sematary and The Shawshank Redemption. It’s a bizarre and poignant metaphor for letting go when love means leaving. —Namwene Mukabwa
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‘Balto’ (1995)
Image via Universal Pictures
Loosely based on the true story of the 1925 diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska, the titular canine is credited with delivering the anti-toxin to save the town’s children. Balto is an animated version of the story of Balto (voiced by Kevin Bacon), an outcast for being half-wolf, and his determination to save the sled dog team carrying the medicine after its musher is injured. The children’s movie takes multiple creative liberties, telling the story through the perspective of its canine characters and making Balto a hybrid.
The movie opens with a live-action look at the real statue erected in Balto’s honor, as Grandmother Rosy (Miriam Margolyes) recounts to her granddaughter (Lola Bates-Campbell) how a special dog saved her life. Balto touches the emotions of children and dog lovers, creating a heartfelt illusion of what our pets would do for us in dire circumstances.
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‘My Dog Skip’ (2000)
Image via Warner Bros.
My Dog Skip is a nostalgic film reminding viewers of their first pet and the pain of losing that pet with time and age. The movie includes a star-studded cast that includes Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson, and Frankie Muniz, starring as Willie, a young boy who convinces his parents to let him keep a terrier puppy he names Skip. The pair go on whirlwind adventures as Willie learns the unconditional love of a dog.
An underrated installment in the dog genre, My Dog Skip possesses the power to uplift audiences while simultaneously moving them to tears with the simple premise of a boy who finds a best friend in his dog. While the driving premise isn’t overtly sad, the film’s power to elicit that emotion earns it a rightful spot among the saddest of dog movies.
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‘Dog’ (2022)
Image via MGM
A truly heartwarming and sensitive film, Dog explores the relationship between grief and how an unlikely bond can heal both man and animal. Army Ranger Briggs (Channing Tatum) is forced to take a difficult Belgian Malinois named Lulu across the country to make it to the funeral of her former ranger handler. Along the way, both Briggs and Lulu discover that they need each other more than they thought.
The movie is inspired by Tatum’s real-life bond and cross-country trek with his late pitbull-Catahoula mix named Lulu. In his directorial debut, Tatum and his co-director Reid Carolin operated by one golden rule in the animal genre: the dog can’t die. While Lulu makes it to the end credits, that won’t stop audiences from shedding tears about the deep-rooted connection between two lost souls.
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‘Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog’ (2004)
Image via Shochiku
Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog is Japan’s answer to Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, with triple the tissue demand. Based on true events, Quill trains as a guide dog for Mitsuru Watanabe (Kaoru Kobayashi), a bitter blind man who initially rejects him. Their bond forms in quiet moments. You’ll endearingly witness Mitsuru’s hands gripping Quill’s harness during rainstorms and the two different creatures of nature sharing melon slices on park benches. When Quill retires, his confusion as a new puppy replaces him shatters you. The climax is the elderly Quill escaping his new family and stumbling through miles of snow to die on Mitsuru’s doorstep.
What makes it hit harder is the film’s barrenness—there’s nothing unnatural for a dog that Quill is made to do. As Roger Ebert described him, “Quill is a dog, and that is quite enough.” The end is even more devastating. With no music and no dramatic elements, all we see is just a weak tail thump and Mitsuru’s sob as he cradles his loyal friend. Their story is devotion that outlives duty. Prepare to shed tears as you watch a scene in which Quill waits at the train station for the owner who never comes. —Namwene Mukabwa
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‘Where the Red Fern Grows’ (2003)
Image via Walt Disney Pictures
One of the multiple live-action movie adaptations of the classic Wilson Rawls novel, Where the Red Fern Grows is a heartfelt story of determination and the bond between man and dog. Based on Rawls’ childhood in the Ozarks, this is the story of a boy named Billy (Joseph Ashton) who scraps and saves his money to buy a pair of Redbone Coonhounds he names Old Dan and Little Ann. The trio spend their days hunting, earning a reputation as the finest hunting team around. When their bond is tested in a near-death encounter, Billy learns the true meaning of love and sacrifice.
Where the Red Fern Grows instantly cues the waterworks, from the cuteness of those puppies to the devastating third act. This adaptation is a foundational film in the sad dog movie genre. Audiences alongside Billy are taken on a rollercoaster of love, loss, and companionship. The movie mirrors the thematic experience of working hard to own your first dog while also coping with the loss of that dog. Where the Red Fern Grows will make any dog lover reach for their pet and hold them a bit tighter.
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‘Lassie’ (2005)
Lassie is a family adventure movie released in 2005. It is about a dog, Lassie, who is reluctantly sold by her family. This heartbroken pup is moved hundreds of miles away from her family, however, she makes it her mission to find them against all odds. It is heartbreaking watching this confused pup try to find her way home, but thankfully has a happy ending, as our hearts couldn’t have taken a sad one.
Lassie was directed by Charles Sturridge and introduces many friends that Lassie meets along the way, including the actor Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones. This movie also includes many beautiful scenic shots that will take your breath away. It is an all-around amazing movie, as long as you’re able to hold in the tears long enough to see it.
