Man’s best friend is a frequent companion on the big screen, but more often than not it feels like these Very Good Characters are introduced only to die later in the film, providing emotional fuel for the main human character. Stories new and old capture the unbreakable bonds formed between man and mutt, or in some cases, mutt and mutt. But the emotional turmoil of watching dogs die on (or off) screen is too much more many viewers.
So to that end, we’ve assembled a list of 15 movies where the dog doesn’t actually die. From cartoons to real trained animal actors to CGI canines, this list runs the gamut in terms of types of dog movies.
Fair warning: We did include a couple of films in which the dog does technically die but is reincarnated in another dog’s body.