Spoiler alert: scroll over for answers to the question, “Does the dog die?” Some movie spoilers follow.
Does the dog die?
Whether by fire, water, or sharknado, danger threatens many of our favorite canine movie pals. Terrified humans race down the street seeking safety… but wait—between the shifting masses, on all fours, a determined dog scampers by. Will this camera-ready canine find shelter, or serve as a heart-wrenching tear jerker? In other words, does the dog die?
Dog lovers deserve to know, and the good news is there’s hope: DoestheDogDie.com answers “the most important movie question.” The site not only supplies information on cinematic canines but other pets and animals. Not everyone wants spoilers, but if a movie is going to depict deadly danger around dogs we adore, it’s nice to know if we’ll need to break out the tissues.
I Am Legend (2007)
It seems Hollywood and dog lovers have decidedly different perspectives on the portrayal of pets. In blockbusters, animals are often treated as acceptable losses, giving the audience a guarded amount of grief without harming human characters. As DoestheDogDie.com tells us about 2014’s Godzilla, “When a tsunami approaches, a dog leashed to a tree on a beach breaks free and runs with a group of people. While we don’t see the dog die, it is not with the few survivors who find shelter…”
Why do you torment us so, Hollywood? Let the dogs live! Thankfully, we’ll always have the classic escape scene from 1996’s Independence Day to make us feel better:
Life yields plenty of complications as we care for our dogs. We don’t always need the multiplex reminding us of potentially fatal disasters. DoestheDogDie.com asks dog lovers the following:
“Do you turn off Old Yeller before the end so you can pretend that he lived a long and happy life? Did a cute pet on a movie poster make you think it would be a fun comedy but it turned out to be a pet-with-a-terminal-illness tearjerker instead? Are you unable to enjoy the human body count in a horror movie because you’re wondering whether the dog’s going to kick the bucket? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then welcome.”
Old Yeller (1957)
Featuring info on over 700 films and counting, this helpful website uses icons—happy dog, sad dog, crying dog—for easy indicators of canine peril. Deeper descriptions follow to illuminate which pets appear and what, heaven forbid, happens to them.
Marley & Me (2008)
These days, it’s not just summer blockbusters offering gut-wrenching dog destinies: Marley & Me seems like a heartwarming family film with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson… but does the dog die?
What about the fate of the sweet dog in the doomsday Armageddon? That comfortable night you planned to curl up with your canine companion, a warm cup of cocoa, and Netflix could suddenly turn into an unexpected tragedy.
When it comes to protected pooch viewing, DoestheDogDie.com has your back, putting a leash on movies so you’re in-the-know and in control. Now you can plan movie screenings for maximum dog-watching experience and know exactly what you’re getting into. It’s not that having a good cry is a bad thing, especially when your pet is parked next to you on the couch. But isn’t nice to know whether you’ll be cheering together or cuddling for comfort?
