When it comes to the many movies about dogs, we’ve seen film after film end in tears as viewers watch another dog die. Marley & Me, I Am Legend and Old Yeller are among the most emotional offenders. So when we walk into a movie called Dog, one question high on many fans’ minds is probably “Does the dog die in this one?”
Channing Tatum leads Dog, which he also co-directed with his longtime collaborator Reid Carolin. To note, to answer this question, he had to give a spoiler, so be forewarned if you haven’t seen the flick yet. When speaking about the movie, he assured audiences right off the bat that no, the dog does not die in this one. In his words:
It’s one of those things, no one really wants one of those movies. I think that’s one of those deadly sins… kill the one thing that everyone loves in a movie. Just don’t kill the dog — you can kill almost anyone else.
When speaking to EW, Tatum shared that he and Carolin ruled out a dog death in their film right away due to it being a “deadly sin” these days in the scope of Hollywood movies. Tatum said that they both “love dogs” and did not want to contribute to such known movie trope, even if the formula is popular.
Arguably, watching an animal like a dog die can be more emotional and gruesome to viewers than watching a person die. People are so turned off by dogs passing away in movies that there’s even a website called doesthedogdie.com, where audiences can look up if there’s animal cruelty or a dog death scene in a movie. We also rounded up a handful of great dog movies where its pooches make it through the movie for your convenience as well.
The concept of Dog did however stem from a dog’s death. Channing Tatum was inspired to explore the relationship between man and dog when his pitbull-Catahoula mix Lulu passed away in 2018. The actor had spent time with the pup by his side since it was a six-week puppy.
Dog may feature a pup also named Lulu, but it’s not autobiographical. The movie is about an Army Ranger (Tatum) who has to take the dog of a former fellow soldier’s funeral. In the movie, three Belgian Malinois dogs, Lana, Britta and Zuza, worked alongside Channing Tatum to bring this feel-good road trip movie to life.
The comedy has received overall positive reviews from critics, including from CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes, who gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars in our review and shared the movie has “easy charms” that will leave its audience entertained. Dog is opening against video game adaptation, which is on track to win the weekend over Channing Tatum’s directorial debut.
Dog is playing in theaters now. Check out what other upcoming 2022 movies are next here on CinemaBlend whether your next trip is to the theaters or on your couch.