After writing a book series about dogs and maintaining a list of the best dog books of all time, I figured it was time to tip toe into the world of movies. I’ve compiled a list of the best dog sledding movies, but this list is going to be even more comprehensive to include the best dog movies of all time.
100 Best Dog Movies of All-time
| Rank | Poster | Name | Genre | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
| Old Yeller (1957) | Drama | 9.0 |
| 2 | 
| Best In Show (2000) | Comedy | 9.0 |
| 3 | 
| Lady And The Tramp (1955) | Animated | 8.8 |
| 4 | 
| Isle Of Dogs (2018) | Animated | 8.8 |
| 5 | 
| Megan Leavey (2017) | Drama | 8.8 |
| 6 | 
| I Am Legend (2007) | Science Fiction | 8.7 |
| 7 | 
| Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (2005) | Animated | 8.7 |
| 8 | 
| 101 Dalmatians (1961) | Drama | 8.7 |
| 9 | 
| Togo (2019) | Adventure | 8.6 |
| 10 | 
| Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) | Adventure | 8.6 |
| 11 | 
| Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island (1998) | Animated | 8.5 |
| 12 | 
| Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009) | Drama | 8.5 |
| 13 | Frankenweenie (2012) | Animated | 8.5 | |
| 14 | 
| As Good As It Gets (1997) | Comedy | 8.5 |
| 15 | 
| Dog (2022) | Drama | 8.3 |
| 16 | 
| Bolt (2008) | Animated | 8.3 |
| 17 | The Secret Life Of Pets (2016) | Animated | 8.3 | |
| 18 | 
| Greyfriars Bobby (1961) | Drama | 8.2 |
| 19 | 
| Sounder (1972) | Drama | 8.1 |
| 20 | 
| A Dog's Way Home (2019) | Drama | 8.1 |
| 21 | 
| The Incredible Journey (1963) | Adventure | 8.1 |
| 22 | 
| The Adventures Of Milo And Otis (1986) | Adventure | 8.1 |
| 23 | 
| Eight Below (2006) | Adventure | 8.1 |
| 24 | 
| Where The Red Fern Grows (1974) | Drama | 8.0 |
| 25 | 
| Snoopy, Come Home (1972) | Animated | 8.0 |
| 26 | 
| A Dog's Journey (2019) | Drama | 8.0 |
| 27 | 
| Hachi-ko (1987) | Drama | 8.0 |
| 28 | 
| Marley & Me (2008) | Drama | 8.0 |
| 29 | 
| The Call Of The Wild (2020) | Adventure | 8.0 |
| 30 | The Secret Life Of Pets 2 (2019) | Animated | 8.0 | |
| 31 | 
| The Fox And The Hound (1981) | Animated | 8.0 |
| 32 | 
| My Dog Tulip (2009) | Animated | 7.9 |
| 33 | 
| Red Dog (2011) | Drama | 7.9 |
| 34 | 
| The Intruder (2004) | Drama | 7.9 |
| 35 | 
| The Art Of Racing In The Rain (2019) | Drama | 7.9 |
| 36 | 
| Life In The Doghouse (2018) | Documentary | 7.8 |
| 37 | 
| Umberto D. (1955) | International | 7.8 |
| 38 | 
| Alpha (2018) | Action | 7.8 |
| 39 | 
| Dog Soldiers (2002) | Science Fiction | 7.8 |
| 40 | 
| My Dog Skip (2000) | Drama | 7.7 |
| 41 | 
| Lassie Come Home (1943) | Drama | 7.7 |
| 42 | 
| Benji (1974) | Adventure | 7.7 |
| 43 | 
| White Fang (1991) | Adventure | 7.7 |
| 44 | 
| Scooby-Doo And The Cyber Chase (2001) | Animated | 7.7 |
| 45 | 
| White Dog (1982) | Suspense | 7.6 |
| 46 | 
| The Ugly Dachshund (1966) | Comedy | 7.6 |
| 47 | 
| Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) | Drama | 7.6 |
| 48 | 
| Balto (1995) | Animated | 7.6 |
| 49 | 
| A Dog's Purpose (2017) | Drama | 7.6 |
| 50 | 
| Lassie (1994) | Adventure | 7.6 |
| 51 | 
| Oliver & Company (1988) | Animated | 7.6 |
| 52 | 
| Scooby-Doo And The Witch's Ghost (1999) | Animated | 7.5 |
| 53 |  | Iron Will (1994) | Adventure | 7.5 |
| 54 | 
| Clifford The Big Red Dog (2021) | Animated | 7.5 |
| 55 | 
| White Fang (2018) | Animated | 7.5 |
| 56 | 
| Heart Of A Dog (2015) | Documentary | 7.4 |
| 57 | 
| Where The Red Fern Grows (2003) | Drama | 7.4 |
| 58 | 
| Red Dog: True Blue (2016) | Drama | 7.4 |
| 59 | Patrick (2019) | Comedy | 7.4 | |
| 60 | 
| Oddball (2015) | Adventure | 7.3 |
| 61 | 
| White God (2014) | Drama | 7.3 |
| 62 | 
| Think Like A Dog (2020) | Comedy | 7.2 |
| 63 | 
| A Boy And His Dog (1975) | Science Fiction | 7.2 |
| 64 | 
| Turner And Hooch (1989) | Suspense | 7.2 |
| 65 | 
| Max (2015) | Drama | 7.2 |
| 66 | 
| Man About Dog (2004) | Comedy | 7.2 |
| 67 | 
| Cats & Dogs (2001) | Comedy | 7.1 |
| 68 | 
| Baxter (1989) | Horror | 7.0 |
| 69 | 
| The Great Alone (2015) | Documentary | 7.0 |
| 70 | 
| Homeward Bound 2: Lost In San Francisco (1996) | Adventure | 7.0 |
| 71 | 
| Shiloh (1997) | Drama | 7.0 |
| 72 | All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989) | Animated | 6.9 | |
| 73 | 
| Scooby-Doo: The Movie (2002) | Comedy | 6.9 |
| 74 | 
| The Plague Dogs (1982) | Animated | 6.8 |
| 75 | 
| Far From Home: The Adventures Of Yellow Dog (1995) | Adventure | 6.8 |
| 76 | 
| Duke (2012) | Drama | 6.8 |
| 77 | 
| Must Love Dogs (2005) | Comedy | 6.8 |
| 78 | 
| 101 Dalmatians (1996) | Comedy | 6.8 |
| 79 | 
| Wendy And Lucy (2008) | Drama | 6.8 |
| 80 | 
| Beethoven (1992) | Comedy | 6.6 |
| 81 | 
| Hotel For Dogs (2009) | Comedy | 6.6 |
| 82 | 
| Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups (2012) | Family | 6.6 |
| 83 | 
| Benji The Hunted (1987) | Adventure | 6.5 |
| 84 | 
| Lassie (2005) | Adventure | 6.5 |
| 85 | 
| Firehouse Dog (2017) | Drama | 6.5 |
| 86 | 
| Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) | Comedy | 6.4 |
| 87 | 
| The Stray (2017) | Drama | 6.4 |
| 88 | 
| Nikki, Wild Dog Of The North (1961) | Adventure | 6.4 |
| 89 | 
| Snow Dogs (2002) | Adventure | 6.3 |
| 90 | 
| Fluke (1995) | Fantasy | 6.3 |
| 91 | 
| Big Red (1962) | Drama | 6.3 |
| 92 | 
| Savage Sam (1963) | Drama | 6.3 |
| 93 | 
| Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999) | Family | 6.3 |
| 94 | 
| Saving Shiloh (2006) | Drama | 6.3 |
| 95 | 
| See Spot Run (2001) | Comedy | 6.3 |
| 96 | 
| A Golden Christmas (2009) | Family | 6.3 |
| 97 | 
| The Dog Who Saved Easter (2014) | Family | 6.2 |
| 98 | 
| Dog Days (2018) | Comedy | 6.2 |
| 99 | 
| Miracle Dogs (2003) | Drama | 6.2 |
| 100 | 
| Zeus And Roxanne (1997) | Comedy | 6.2 |
How the Movies are Rated
There’s probably hundreds of “best dog movies” lists out there, but most of them are purely subjective. And while I’d love to just make a list of my favorite movies and call them the “best,” that just wouldn’t be helpful.
So, instead I’ve created a simple algorithm that includes the following points of data:
- Rotten Tomatoes rating
- IMDB rating
- Amazon rating
- Amazon review count
On the table below the value from the above criteria is then calculated on a 1 to 10 scale and listed under the “rating” column.
Because I’m just one person, my plan is to update this table every January. In the meantime if you think I’ve missed a movie then drop me a comment below and I’ll be sure to add it.
How the Movies are Selected
Just finding the movies is probably the hardest part. I can’t go through every way that I find movies, but I’m searching “best lists”, Amazon, other online video or streaming stores, your comments below, and pretty much any other source I can find.
Because there aren’t a lot of dog movies made each year, I’ve included pretty much every genre as long as dogs were front and center to the movie. There are some on the list (i.e. As Good As It Gets) that probably will be removed as more are added, but the dog should be integral to the movie.
In addition, because most movies about wolves actually use dog actors, I’ve also included any and all wolf movies, excluding wolf documentaries.
My Favorites
I can’t just let you leave without telling you which movies would be on my Mt. Rushmore of dog movies. Love ’em or hate ’em, here they are:
- Iron Will. I watched this movie as a kid, so it’s hard for me to be objective. It will always have a special place in my heart.
- Turner And Hooch. I’m so disappointed how low of a score Rotten Tomatoes gave this, because I loved everything about this movie growing up.
- Homeward Bound. I didn’t realize until I made this list that Homeward Bound was actually a re-make from The Incredible Journey, but either way it’s such a feel good movie.
What Movies Should be Added?
The first version of this list was created in 2022, so it will invariably grow over the coming months and years. I’m sure there’s a few movies that slipped through the cracks, so be sure to leave a comment below with any that I’ve missed.
Hoping you can help me identify a dog film. I saw it in school when I was around 11-12, so 83-84? Plot points I remember is a dog with his owner are in the woods and things are desperate (hungry? cold? lost? wounded). The owner decides to start treating his dog very mean to get him to leave his side (throws rocks at him, pretends to shoot at him), the idea is that he is afraid his dog won’t make it otherwise, so wants him to go and find somewhere safe. The dog eventually leaves his side. and ends up adopted by a nice family. Years go by and one day the original owner comes across his dog and is overwhelmed by joy. Since the owners both want to keep him, the decide to let the fog pick. There is an emotional scene of the dog running back and forth, unable to choose.