But how do you know which film will make you sob the hardest? Well, to help you out when you need a truly tear-jerking movie at the ready, canine holiday specialists Canine Cottages decided to do the research to track down ten of the most emotional dog films out there.
In order to rank the most emotional dog films, Canine Cottages analysed mentions of crying, sadness, sobbing, tears and emotion in each movie's IMDB reviews.
The rankings were based on the number of mentions against the number of reviews, and were given extra weight if the main dog dies in the film – with films needing at least 50 reviews to be considered for the rankings.
Here are the films that are all but guaranteed to get the tears flowing.
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The rankings were based on the number of mentions against the number of reviews, and were given extra weight if the main dog dies in the film – with films needing at least 50 reviews to be considered for the rankings.
5. A Dog's Purpose (2017)
A dog (Josh Gad) is reincarnated through five lifetimes while searching for life’s purpose. This dog comes to different conclusions throughout the movie based on the various situations and humans that come into this dog’s many lives. A Dog's Purpose is a sad film all about loyalty and determination, with some nice owners and some nasty ones who influence the dog’s lives. But this strong-willed pup never gives up on the mission to discover life’s true purpose, making this both a heart-breaking and heartening dog movie.
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6. Eight Below (2006)
In Eight Below a dogsled team is left behind at an Arctic research station when the humans are forced to leave in a hurry and must find a way to survive the winter. The initial tears may well flow at beginning of the film when the humans are seen pulling away. While our human protagonist Jerry Shepherd (Paul Walker) worries about the dogs, there’s nothing he can do except wait to return in the spring. It’s up to the pack to survive on their own.
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7. Red Dog (2011)
Based on the best-selling book and true story written up by Louis de Bernières, Red Dog is a sad dog movie about an Australian cattle dog who roamed the outback looking for his lost master, uniting the community as he went. He was also known as ‘The Pilbara Wanderer’ and there is a statue that was erected in his memory in 1979 in the city of Dampier where Red Dog often visited.
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8. My Dog Skip (2000)
A beautiful story of loyalty and friendship between a boy and his dog, My Dog Skip is a film to make you ugly cry. Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz) receives a dog called Skip for his ninth birthday who helps him navigate bullies, moonshiners and girls. Father and son duo, Moose and Enzo, both play the Jack Russell dog Skip and even have their own IMDB biographies if you want to know more about these fine four-pawed actors.
Photo: Contributed