here are all the dog movies I remember watching as a kid (mostly 90s/2000s, live action) plus some new ones
Tags: "happy" means it's an easy, not upsetting watch, "sad" means it is a heartbreaking film and the dog probably dies (might have an uplifting resolution but it is still heavy and will probably trigger feelings of grief if you've dealt with the loss of a pet or loved one), "???" means I don't know or remember, and "iirc" means "if I recall correctly"
- beverly hills chihuahua (& sequels) - happy
- my dog skip (2000) - ???
- cats & dogs - happy iirc
- see spot run - ???
- shiloh - ???
- where the red fern grows - SAD
- air bud - happy iirc
- beethoven - ???
- homeward bound/the incredible journey (i and ii) - ???
- 102 dalmations - happy
- snow dogs - happy iirc
- because of win dixie - ???
- marona's fantastic tale - SAD
- another new one: isle of dogs - ???
- Babe (1995) has a few talking dogs with pretty big roles but the main character is a pig - kind of sad but there is no death iirc
- lassie come home - happy iirc
- napoleon (1995) - fairly happy, a little sad but there is no death. I DO cry sometimes because of grief/memories for my pets that have passed on, unrelated to the movie, bc I watched it for comfort during some hard times and the associations unfortunately stuck. theme song is also very emotional for me ("how will I know how far I'll fly")
- oliver & company - happy
- the plague dogs - SAD
- Bolt - happy
- 102 Dalmations - the live action sequel to 101 dalmations disney animated movie - happy probably?? I need to rewatch this one sorry
other ones I remember but less fondly/as young:
- marley and me - SAD
- zeus and roxanne - ???
- benji - ???
- hotel for dogs - happy iirc
- the shaggy dog (reboot) - ???
I didn’t watch lassie as a kid but I read it a little and liked the movie a lot when I watched it for the first time in 2018
marmaduke, greyfriars bobby ??