8 Best Sad Movies About Dogs That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Sad Movies About Dogs

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Movies are capable of eliciting a wide range of emotions from us. They have the power to amuse, terrify, and, yes, even move us to tears. If you’re looking for a good cry, nothing beats a sad dog movie, especially if your best friend is watching it with you.

As dog lovers and pet parents, we can’t help but shed a few tears when we witness heartwarming stories about dogs.

Here are eight heartbreaking but wonderful dog movies that will bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded dog lover. You’ll need tissues for this!

1. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009)

Hachi A Dog’s Tale (2009)

This dog would be the face of fidelity. Real-life Japanese Akita Inu, Hachiko Monogatari, based on the 1987 Japanese film, is the inspiration for the narrative of Hachi. An unshakable friendship develops between Richard Gere and his dog, played by Gere.

He meets Hachi every day at the train station when he departs and arrives from work, and the film depicts his tale. Hachi spends the next ten years of his life at the train station after his human tragically dies on the way home from work.

Hashish is a true friend. And I’m already in tears.

2. Marley & Me (2008)

This film, based on John Grogan’s autobiographical novel, is a real tearjerker. The Grogans, played by Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, are a newlywed couple who are considering starting a family. First, they adopt a yellow Labrador puppy named Marley, after Bob Marley, to test if they’re ready for children.

Following Marley’s puppy years until his sorrowful death, the rest of the film depicts his numerous escapades with his family, all of which we as dog lovers are all too familiar with.

After seeing this, you may find yourself sobbing while securely cradling your dog in your arms.

3. My Dog Skip (2000)

My Dog Skip (2000)

An adaptation of Willie Morris’ personal memoirs, this is based on another true story. Willie’s boyhood in the 1940s is the focus of the film. Skip, a Jack Russell Terrier, was given to him on his ninth birthday as he was growing up in Yazoo, Mississippi.

It’s from there that the story takes off as Willie’s “only child” learns valuable life lessons from Skip, “an only dog,” as Willie calls him in the film.

Dogs have always held a special place in the hearts of children, and this story is no exception. You’ll want a box of Kleenex nearby.

4. Turner & Hooch (1989)

We’ve watched a lot of buddy-cop movies over the years, but none as memorable as this one. He plays a detective who is forced into a world turned upside down when he meets the slobbering Dogue de Bordeaux (played by Tom Hanks).

Hooch and Turner are able to work together to solve a murder case despite their differing personalities. It culminates in a heart-wrenching conclusion that not only makes Tom Hanks cry, but us, too..

5. All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)

All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)

Charlie B. Barkin, a German Shepherd mix voiced by Burt Reynolds, is a beloved animated picture that many of us have watched. After one of Charlie’s doggie companions murders him, he decides to return to Earth to seek vengeance.

After meeting an orphan named Anne-Marie, Charlie’s outlook on life is forever changed.

Is Charlie able to return to the afterlife? You’ll have to discover for yourself. It’s fine to cry, but be warned!

6. The Fox And The Hound (1981)

When Tod (Mickey Rooney) and Copper (kurt Russell) discover that they share the same bloodhound, they form an odd relationship based on a mutual love of foxes.

After meeting each other as puppies, Tod and Copper are inseparable. Their friendship continues despite the constant reminders that they are “natural foes” from everyone else. That is, until they learn it’s not that simple.

No other scene in this film is as heartbreaking as their final departure. You’ll be hunched over in your bed as the credits roll on this one.

7. Where The Red Fern Grows (1974)

Where The Red Fern Grows (1974)

This may be the most difficult and depressing of the films mentioned. Billy Colman, a 12-year-old boy who dreams of owning a hunting dog, is the protagonist of the novel.

It’s fascinating to see Billy work so hard to save enough for two Coonhound puppies, Old Dan and Little Ann.

After that, the youngster and his beloved dogs go on a series of adventures, culminating in the death of both of them within a few weeks of one other. For more than just their deaths, you’ll feel the pain of their final moments.

You’ll understand the film’s title towards the conclusion. Your floor will be littered with Kleenex, and you’ll know why.

8. Old Yeller (1957)

When we think of tragic dog flicks, this may be the one that springs to mind first.

On a farm in Salt Lick, Texas, in the 1860s, the story takes place. Old Yeller, a yellow Labrador mix, greets Travis, the eldest of two sons, as he walks through the woods. When Old Yeller saves Arliss from a black bear, Travis, who initially dislikes the dog, quickly changes his mind.

Old Yeller and Travis become inseparable as time goes on.