Brought to you by Warner Bros. Pictures.
It was a ruff job but someone had to do it.
It was always going to be difficult to get a shortlist of our favourite dogs in films and a few big names missed the cut. We had to be pretty harsh.
The omission of Old Yeller and Lassie will be controversial but sometimes big reputations aren’t enough to get you over the line. Read on to see if you agree with our choices and vote in the poll to help us find out the nation’s favourite big screen canine.
Baxter (Anchorman)
Ron Burgundy’s little gentleman once ate an entire wheel of cheese and pooped in the refrigerator but what a character he was.
Despite being a dog, Baxter put in a moving performance in the film. The moment when he was punted off the bridge by a biker was a dark day for Baxter fans everywhere.
“Fare thee well, Baxter. You shall always be a friend of the bears.”
Puffy (There’s Something About Mary)
The scene where a spiked Puffy attacks Ben Stiller’s character is one of the best bits of physical comedy in the film. Between the fight, the full body cast and being set on fire, Puffy put in some scene-stealing performances in that film.
Not to mention the fact that Puffy was actually played by a female dog. We’d be handing out an Oscar if a human displayed that kind of range.
“Are you the little guy making all that big noise?”
Beethoven (Beethoven)
This enormous St Bernard may have been a bit destructive but he had a heart of gold.
He fought off bullies, helped the kids with their relationships and even saved one of them from drowning. He was like a furry cross between Dr Phil and Chuck Norris.
“You’d better think of something to name him ’cause when I come home and he’s destroyed my house, I wanna know what to call him.”
Sam (I am Legend)
https://youtu.be/gtFFww0Wdk0
Will Smith’s loyal companion fought off three zombie dogs to save her master and lived to tell the tale. Not too many movie dogs can say that.
Unfortunately, she also got infected in the process and her subsequent death was a serious gut punch. We’ve got something in our eye…
“Come on, Sam. We gotta go.”
Uggie (The Artist)
https://youtu.be/KvfvyuKlEhA
What can you say about the acting colossus that was Uggie? Uggie was the Robert De Niro of dogs, a singular talent that illuminated a generation.
The Jack Russell was even honoured with a Palm Dog award at Cannes film festival. We’ll leave you with the final line from his book, Uggie, the Artist: My Story (We’re not even making this up).
“I lick each of your faces, truly.”
Of course, one of the most moving canine performances in recent years was by Daisy the dog in John Wick. Frankly, we were surprised that John showed as much restraint as he did when going on a bloody rampage to avenge his dog’s death.
Keanu Reeves will return in John Wick: Chapter Two, with a new dog and a star-studded cast that includes Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose and Ian McShane. The film is a 16 Cert and it hits Irish cinemas on 17 February, with preview screenings available on Valentine’s Day.
Brought to you by Warner Bros. Pictures.
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