Good Boys: 10 Best Movies Where the Dog Doesn't Die
The humble dog is one of the nation's most popular pets. Traditionally referred to as man’s best friend, the history of humans and dogs is vast.
Throughout the ages, dogs have assisted humans on hunts, helped protect us, and today they continue to work alongside the police and undertake a variety of assistance roles for people with varying needs. It is no surprise then that we absolutely love our canine friends, but there is one scenario that strikes fear into every dog lover's heart – the inclusion of a pooch in a movie.
Typically, especially in horror cinema, the introduction of a dog means that it will inevitably meet a sorry fate. This has been the case in everything from M3gan to I Am Legend, and it isn’t a trope exclusive to horror. Even in family-targeted films such as Old Yeller and Marley and Me, the dog's mortality is thrown into question. So how is a dog lover expected to navigate the terrain of movies with canine characters?
Well, in an attempt to alleviate some stress, here is a handy list of movies where the dog doesn’t die (hoorah!). Obviously, given the nature of the subject matter, what follows will contain spoilers.
Not to be confused with the Norwegian film of the same name, 2025’s Good Boy places a dog into the role of protagonist. Working on the idea that animals can see things that humans cannot, Good Boy sees Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Indy do battle with the evil spirits inhabiting his new house. The dedicated pooch takes it upon himself to save his beloved human best friend from the monsters that he cannot see, and happily, Indy makes it to the end!
Shot over the course of three years by Indy’s real-life owner, Ben Leonberg, Indy’s performance is 100% natural, the long shoot enabling Indy to go at his own pace. A testament to the bond between man and dog, both on and off-screen, Good Boy might be a horror film, but it's one that at least chooses not to kill off its canine protagonist.
The saying might be ‘man’s best friend’, but in Predator prequel, Prey, Sarii is the sidekick of heroine Naru. Like so many canine characters before her, Sarii is utterly devoted to her human companion and goes to extreme lengths to help Naru. Considering that the Predator species of the Yautja are known for their love of collecting skulls of everything they kill, a dog, especially one as fierce as Sarii, seems like a worthy trophy.
Happily, Sarii avoids death and even has her own epic hero moment when she assists Naru in taking down the Predator by distracting the alien.
Although her owner, Buffalo Bill, is a very bad man, adorable poodle Precious was not. Having had to endure her master tormenting and skinning at least five women, Precious’ life was not a happy one. As if that wasn’t terrible enough, during The Silence of the Lambs, Bill’s latest victim, Catherine Martin, captures Precious and threatens to hurt her as leverage to be let free. Worry not, though: Catherine does not hurt Precious and, after being rescued, Catherine returns home with Precious in tow, the two survivors set to help each other recover from their trauma.
Precious also has the accolade of being played by Bichon Frisé Darla, an animal actor whose range was unmatched. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, Darla also starred in Batman Returns, Eerie Indiana, Coming to America, The ‘Burbs and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.
Throughout Finnish action-thriller Sisu and its sequel, Sisu: Road to Revenge, all that any dog lover is concerned with is the fate of Aatami Korpi’s nameless Bedlington Terrier. Whilst the dog is not granted a name, he is given lots of screen time in the original movie and is constantly placed into peril. Repeatedly ordered to leave his owner to do battle with his Nazi foes alone, the dog is overwhelmingly and quite frustratingly loyal to his master.
Luckily, though, much like his seemingly indestructible owner, the dog survives both films.
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a firm family favourite. Based on the novel The Incredible Journey written by Sheila Burnford, Homeward Bound was a ‘90s update of the 1963 movie The Incredible Journey. The remarkable story finds a trio of pets – dogs, Shadow and Chase, along with cat, Sassy – travelling across America to track down their owners. Along the way, the threesome face untold dangers, including an encounter with a bear.
Somehow, the group survives the ordeal, although it does look a little hairy for Shadow at one point.
John Wick is infamous for the killing of cute puppy Daisy. The death of this sweet angel stirs retired assassin John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) to return to his former profession as he seeks bloody vengeance on those who murdered his dog. It is a motivation that a lot of animal lovers can get on board with. At the end of John Wick, he breaks into a dog pound and rescues one of the residents, who becomes his pal for John Wick: Chapter 2.
Thankfully, John is not about to let his new dog suffer the same fate as Daisy, and when things start to look bad, he drops him off at the Continental, leaving him with hotel concierge Charon.
The nameless dog later features in both John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, eventually ending up living with the Bowery King.
Knowing which dogs live and die is especially vital information when it comes to children’s movies. No parent wants to accidentally ruin their child’s day by having them watch a loveable dog perish. Fortunately, 1974’s Benji is a film that can be placed firmly on the safe list.
Benji is a stray dog who lives a carefree existence; with no owner, he is loyal to nobody, but that changes when two children from his neighbourhood are kidnapped. Not only does the titular Benji survive the movie, but he also manages to thwart a pair of crooks and get himself a girlfriend in the guise of fellow pooch Tiffany.
After having played dog-hybrid Caine in Jupiter Ascending, actor Canning Tatum went on to star in the feel-good film, Dog. The plot sees US Army Ranger Jackson Briggs travel with military dog Lulu so that she can attend the funeral of her handler. Their journey together is far from easy; the duo works as a classic odd couple, just reworked into human and canine form.
The emotional clout in Dog comes from Lulu’s PTSD. Her time in Afghanistan has traumatised her, and she is triggered by loud noises such as gunshots, a condition which has marked her to be put to sleep once the road trip is over. By the time they reach their destination, Jackson is so smitten with Lulu that he’s unable to hand her over for such a tragic fate.
The story for Dog was inspired by a road trip that Tatum took with his own dog; these feelings were mixed with stories he’d heard from a friend’s experiences as a dog handler and soldier.
As soon as the adorable border collie, Chip, appears on screen in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, dog lovers become nervous. The character does not exist in the original George A. Romero movie, dogs do not have the best track record in horror films, and zombies are always hungry. However, within this zombie world, the walking dead only want to eat human flesh and brains. This means that Chip not only lives, but also becomes an integral part of the team of survivors as he is sent out to collect supplies.
Although Chip does live right until the end, and, given the zombies' aversion to dog meat, potentially long after, it never gets any easier to see the poor pooch lowered down into the belly of a zombie horde. Chip’s survival and heroic deeds can be attributed to the remake's writer, James Gunn, a self-confessed animal lover.
Love and Monsters is a heartfelt coming-of-age action comedy set within a version of Earth ravaged by a cataclysmic event. The side-effect of this finds the world overrun with mutated reptilian monsters and pockets of humans living in underground bunkers. The film follows a lovelorn teenager, Joel, as he travels across no man’s land to reunite with the girl he loves. Along for the journey is his loyal dog, Boy.
At countless points in Love and Monsters, it looks as though Boy, Joel, or both of them will die, but thankfully, both manage to make it to the end credits.
