Why Do Dogs Die in Movies? The Heartbreaking Trend That Makes Us All Cry

Listen, I’m gonna be honest with you – I hate when dogs die in movies Like, absolutely cannot stand it And I’m not alone in this feeling. There’s literally an entire website dedicated to telling viewers whether a dog dies in a movie (aptly named doesthedogdie.com), which has expanded to include other potential triggers but still maintains its original dog-focused name. That should tell you something about how much this particular cinematic choice affects audiences.

But why? Why do filmmakers keep killing our beloved canine companions on screen, and why does it hurt us so deeply when they do? Let’s dive into this emotional minefield together.

The Uncomfortable Reality of Canine Movie Deaths

As one YouTube commenter wrote under the trailer for “Max,” a drama about a military-trained Belgian Malinois: “If the dog dies, I’ll burn the theatre to the ground.”

Extreme? Maybe But many of us share that sentiment The comment section was filled with similar threats

• “I SWEAR I’M GONNA KILL THE SCRIPT WRITER IF THE DOG DIES”
• Promises of riots and vandalism
• Multiple “no, no, no, no, no, no” responses
• One wise soul who pleaded: “Listen. Shoot Turner. Leave Hooch out of it.”

We’ve all been conditioned to expect the worst. As another commenter resigned themself to the inevitable: “The dog is definitely gonna die. Typical dog movie, the dog always dies.”

Two Types of Dog Death Scenes That Break Our Hearts

When it comes to cinematic canine demises, they generally fall into two major categories:

1. The Entire Story Leads to the Dog’s Death

These are movies like “Marley & Me” and “My Dog Skip” that chart the joys of dog ownership, the love and laughter that comes with it, only to force us to watch that lovable dog pass away after a good, long life. For anyone who’s ever lost a pet, these movies are particularly hard to stomach.

2. The Dog Dies to Advance the Narrative

These are arguably worse because you never know when it’s coming. Some examples:

• In “Age of Adaline,” a dog dies unexpectedly early in the film, making it a dangerous movie to watch on an airplane
• The “John Wick” franchise famously begins with Keanu Reeves’ character receiving a beagle puppy from his late wife, only for the puppy to suffer a brutal death when he’s attacked by thugs
• In “I Am Legend,” Will Smith’s character has to kill his own dog after she’s infected with a zombie bite – and we’ve spent the entire film with them
• “Game of Thrones” included multiple direwolf deaths alongside its other brutality

But WHY Does the Dog Always Have to Die?

It seems like an axiom of every genre that if a pet appears, a callous death awaits it. But why has this device endured? Does anybody actually LIKE this trope?

The Easiest Emotional Shortcut

Simply put, killing a dog is the easiest way for filmmakers to:

• Make us frightened
• Make us cry
• Show how isolated a character is
• Illustrate how vicious a fictional world can be
• Motivate a character to action

In “John Wick,” Daisy’s death draws the grieving assassin back into his killer lifestyle In “I Am Legend,” Sam’s death drives Robert onto a rampage that brings the movie to a close In “Game of Thrones,” Grey Wind’s death (and subsequent attachment to Robb Stark’s decapitated body) illustrates the exceptional cruelty of that world.

Killing Innocence Itself

The explanation might seem obvious, but killing a dog feels like killing innocence itself. Taking something as sweet and innocent as a dog – a cuddly best friend whose sole purpose in their tiny life is to stick by their owner’s side and be a faithful companion – and disposing of it as a plot device just feels wrong on every imaginable level.

As noted in The Globe and Mail, “When we say that a cat or a dog is ‘innocent,’ we don’t mean only that they didn’t commit any crime. We mean that, unlike us, a cat or a dog isn’t capable of malice or deceit.”

Dogs don’t occupy our world of malevolence and perfidy. They exist in a state of perpetual innocence. That’s what makes their on-screen deaths so much harder to bear than even human deaths in many cases.

The Many Flavors of Canine Movie Deaths

The ways in which movies kill off our four-legged friends are varied and often unnecessarily cruel:

1. The Weepie Death: Faithful canines of modern tearjerkers, succumbing to surprise wounds or manufactured illness with poignant, tearful grace

2. The Comedic Mishap: Slapstick-cats and farce-dogs, dispatched by mistake by a hapless hero – hurled from a window or impaled on something comically undignified (though this is rarely actually funny)

3. The Horror Movie Victim: The most horrible fates are reserved for animals in horror films, where the family pet often suffers a slasher’s least dignified slaughter

When Dogs Survive (And Why We Cheer)

There is pleasure afforded to us when a movie pet found close to termination is suddenly and surprisingly spared. David Gordon Green’s film “Manglehorn” saves the life of its hero’s fluffy white cat during emergency surgery, and the recovery is worthy of applause.

In fact, that’s why doesthedogdie.com includes the helpful category “A pet is injured or appears dead but ultimately lives” – because sometimes filmmakers do throw us a bone (sorry for the pun).

For instance, in the 1982 film “Poltergeist,” which features a deadly house and a defenseless family dog named E-Buzz, the site assures us the dog “does not die and is never in danger,” which ought to set perennially wary viewers at ease.

The Line Many Viewers Won’t Cross

The truth is, dog death scenes in movies are the one line many viewers simply won’t cross. Even the most die-hard, loyal moviegoer has limits. Some people can’t stand extreme violence, some hate gross-out comedies, others can’t stand romantic comedies – but the death of a dog is something that seems to unite viewers in collective discomfort.

It’s why many of us now Google whether a dog dies in a movie before we watch it. It’s why we warn our friends. It’s why some of us refuse to watch certain films altogether.

A Better Approach to Animal Deaths in Fiction

Fiction can accommodate the passing of an animal, but it needs tact and consideration that few movies seem willing to extend. As John Updike demonstrated in his first novel, “The Poorhouse Fair,” describing the mercy killing of a cat, such a death doesn’t need to be spectacle or special effect. It isn’t flippant, but it isn’t sensational, either – like any real death, it merely is.

When handled with appropriate weight and care, an animal’s death in fiction can be meaningful rather than manipulative. The problem is that most filmmakers seem unwilling to invest that kind of thoughtfulness into their canine characters.

The Bottom Line: We Know It’s a Shameless Trick

We are perfectly aware, watching a movie, that the pet being harmed isn’t really being harmed. But we know how effortlessly a movie can penetrate our emotional defenses with the illusion.

That’s why the dog has to die: It’s the easiest way for a film to rattle us. Filmmakers must understand as we do that it’s a shameless trick. We all ought to know better.

The dog doesn’t have to die. But as long as it remains an effective emotional shortcut, many filmmakers will continue to use it – and many viewers will continue to avoid those movies.

For me, I’ve made my peace with the fact that I’m just gonna check doesthedogdie.com before I watch anything. My heart just can’t take another surprise canine tragedy, ya know?

Have you ever walked out of a movie because a dog died? Or refused to watch one because you heard about the dog’s fate? Tell me your experiences in the comments below!

Dogs don’t verbally say “goodbye,” but many owners observe behaviors like increased affection or seeking solitude in their final days, which can be interpreted as a form of communication or farewell. Other signs of a dog nearing the end of life include extreme fatigue, lethargy, loss of appetite, changes in mobility, or restlessness.