Christopher Guest ready to kiss a dog in a scene from the film ‘Best In Show’, 2000. (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images)
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Wednesday is National Dog Day 2026, and full disclosure, since I’m a dog lover, I hope validates the movie picks featured in this article.
Don’t get me wrong, I love cats, too, but as Samuel L. Jackson’s Julie Winnfield told John Travolta’s Vincent Vega via the brilliance of Quentin Tarantino’s dialogue in the 1993 classic Pulp Fiction, “Dogs got personality. Personality goes a long way.” Of course, there are a lot of other reasons I love dogs besides their great personalities.
To begin with, they’re non-judgmental and are always happy to see you. Their mere presence invokes an instant rush of happiness, even when they are sleeping (which they do a lot). And, at least in my experience with Basset Hounds over the years, they’re natural-born comedians. In short, life simply would not be the same without them.
Like the choice of being a dog or cat person, this list is subjective. It’s not a list of “the best,” but rather movies that basically solidify my fondness for our four-legged friends/family members. Also, I tried to diversify the list and steer clear of the tried-and-true standbys, because I think we can all agree that Lassie, whether she is featured in movies or TV, or the title canine in Old Yeller, are both cultural icons.
Another great standby is the 1955 Disney animated classic Lady & the Tramp (make sure to watch it over a plate of spaghetti). If you feel the need to drain your tear ducts, the 2008 family comedy Marley and Me, starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston and a troublemaking Yellow Labrador Retriever named after reggae icon Bob Marley, will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.
The following great dog movie picks are based, naturally, on their entertainment value, as well as the level of emotion the canines bring to their respective films. Also, the picks aren’t necessarily films that you instantly think of when naming great dog movies like the titles above, so hopefully some readers will delightfully discover something new to remind them once again of why dogs are so great.
So, here are the picks for six great dog movies in celebration of this year’s National Dog Day — which was founded by pet lifestyle expert Colleen Paige in 2004 to encourage the rescue and adoption of canines — and where you can stream them.
‘Arthur the King’ (2024)
Based on Mikael Leonard’s 2016 memoir Arthur – The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home, Arthur the King stars Mark Wahlberg as the endurance athlete, who is renamed Michael Light. Based on a remarkable true story, Michael and his endurance teammates’ grueling 435-mile race in the Dominican Republic takes an unexpected turn when a neglected stray Michael calls Arthur begins to follow them every step of the way.
When Arthur saves the team from disaster on the treacherous course, Michael vows to save the ailing canine, whose health is failing fast after the stray survives the unforgiving elements in the jungle. Be sure to watch the film all the way to the end to see the real Arthur and Mikael, and be sure to seek out real-life news footage from the extraordinary event.
Rated PG-13, Arthur the King is streaming on Netflix.
‘The Art Of Racing In The Rain’ (2019)
Based on the 2008 book of the same name by Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain stars Milo Ventimiglia as Denny, a race car driver whose bond with his Golden Retriever — whom he names Enzo Ferrari — not only shapes his career as a racer, but a human in life outside of the track.
Amanda Seyfried stars as Denny’s wife-turned-girlfriend, Eve, while Kevin Costner brings the film gravitas as he narrates life from Enzo’s point of view. While The Art of Racing in the Rain is a tear-jerker thanks to some hard-hitting tragedy, the film ultimately has an uplifting conclusion.
Rated PG, The Art of Racing in the Rain is streaming on Disney+.
‘Best In Show’ (2000)
Director Christopher Guest assembles his talented ensemble of improvisational players — many of whom were featured in his 1996 comedic masterpiece Waiting for Guffman — for Best in Show, a laugh-out-loud hilarious documentary-style comedy surrounding the events of the fictitious 125th annual Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show and the eccentric owners of the prestigious pups who compete.
Waiting for Guffman cast members Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Bob Balaban and Fred Willard are among the key players in Best in Show; while John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, Jim Piddock and Guest’s This Is Spinal Tap co-star and Guffman co-songwriter Michael McKean all join the joyous troupe. Despite all of the talent, though, the dogs featured in the movie, well, steal the show.
Rated PG-13, Best in Show is streaming on Paramount+ and Tubi (free with ads).
‘A Dog’s Purpose’ (2017)
Based on W. Bruce Cameron’s book of the same name, A Dog’s Purpose tracks the soul of a dog named Bailey as it leaps from one body to the next whenever it is, sadly, his/her time to move on. Eventually reborn as a St. Bernard/Australian Shepherd, the former Bailey finds his way home to Ethan (Dennis Quaid) — his owner in a previous life — and Ethan names him Buddy.
The story of A Dog’s Purpose isn’t truly complete, though, until the 2019 sequel A Dog’s Journey (based on another Cameron book), where Bailey’s soulful journey from one dog to the next continues. Without giving away any big spoilers, the place we all dream about — the Rainbow Bridge — comes into play at one point, so have one or 50 tissues at the ready as the most beautiful scene from both of the movies unfolds.
A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog’s Journey, which are both rated PG, are streaming on Netflix.
‘Frankenweenie’ (2012)
Director (and dog lover) Tim Burton brought his classic 1984 live-action short film Frankenweenie back to life in 2012, but reimagined as a feature-length stop-motion animated tale (or is it tail?).
Like Burton’s original film short, young Victor Frankenstein (voice of Charlie Tahan) tragically loses his dog, Sparky, after he runs into traffic, but finds a way to reanimate him à la Frankenstein’s monster. Burton expands the narrative of original short film to turn Frankenweenie into a full-blown monster movie akin to Universal Studios’ classics. As such, once Sparky is jolted back to life, Victor’s neighborhood friends use his methods to bring back their dearly departed pets — resulting in complete chaos for all of the townsfolk in the sleepy village of New Holland.
Rated PG, Frankenweenie — which is presented in glorious black and white — is streaming on Disney+.
‘Inside The Mind Of A Dog’ (2024)
Netflix has plenty of original dog-focused documentaries and docuseries, but Inside the Mind of a Dog is among the most memorable. Narrated by dog lover Rob Lowe, Inside the Mind of a Dog covers a wide variety of questions people have about dogs, beginning with their history with humans and the unbreakable bonds formed between them.
The scenes that are most impactful in Inside the Mind of a Dog, though, are when the documentary chronicles the process of how support dogs are trained and eventually matched with the people who need them the most. It’s an incredibly emotional and inspiring sight to behold.
Rated PG, Inside the Mind of a Dog is streaming on Netflix.
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