The Best Dogs From Movies & TV, Ranked From Good To Goodest
All dogs are good dogs. But some dogs are more good than others.
It’s true of real-life dogs, and it’s sure as hell true for dogs in movies and TV. A dog in a movie immediately makes it a better movie. Imagine John Wick without a dog. No thank you!
Dogs in pop culture have been action stars, sports stars, best friends and heroes. But it’s time we admit that some dogs do a better job in the movies than others. And it’s time that all of these good dogs were ranked to discover the goodest dog of them all.
To be clear, this isn’t a ranking of the best movies and TV shows about dogs. It’s a ranking of the best dogs in movies and TV, from least to most good. From the good dogs to the goodest dogs. I’m expecting my Walkley Award for Excellence in Journalism to arrive any day now.
We ranked dogs from movies and TV from good to goodest:
#14. Beethoven, Beethoven
Let’s be real, Beethoven is not a very good dog. He steals food, chews through shoes, jumps on people with muddy paws and destroys his owner’s house. But he saves one kid from drowning and suddenly everybody loses their mind over what a good boy he is? Sorry, not buying it.
Goodness rating: 10/10
#13. Santa’s Little Helper, The Simpsons
Santa’s Little Helper is destructive, eats other people’s desserts and got Principal Skinner fired one time. But he’s also saved the Simpsons’ lives more than once, solved crime during a brief stint as a police dog and makes his owners happy — and isn’t that what a good dog should do?
Goodness rating: 11/10
#12. Marley, Marley & Me
The whole point of this movie is that Marley is a naughty dog, but you and I both know that Owen Wilson is really to blame for his poor training here. Marley’s bad behaviour also saves his owner’s career, so even though he’s a bad dog, he’s also somewhat of a business magnate.
Goodness rating: 12/10
#11. Red Dog, Red Dog
Another loyal doggo who travels the world looking for his lost owner. My heart! Red Dog is such a good dog that his home town put up a statue of him. AS THEY SHOULD.
Goodness rating: 13/10
#10. Frank, Men in Black
Talk about climbing the corporate ladder. From working at a locksmith, to being a fully-fledged MIB agent and then the personal assistant to the head of the organisation, Frank is truly out there hustlin’ every day.
Goodness rating: 14/10
#9. Slinky, Toy Story
Slinky is the epitome of loyal dog, always sticking up for Woody and helping him pull off every grand plan. He carries the Toy Story franchise on his long, metal, slinky back.
Goodness rating: 15/10
#8. Buddy, Air Bud
Um excuse me, show me a dog who’s better at sports than Buddy. Can’t? Didn’t think so.
And LOOK AT HIS LITTLE BASKETBALL SHOES! Dog, but make it fashion.
Goodness rating: 16/10
#7. Dug, Up
Dug is a talking golden retriever who loves you. He’s one of the bad guys at the start of the movie but he obviously doesn’t know they’re the bad guys so it’s okay, we forgive you Dug. Besides, he switches sides and helps the good guys save the day in the end.
Goodness rating: 17/10
#6. John Wick’s dog
Keanu Reeves said it himself: “Good dog”. And if this dog is good enough for Keanu, he’s good enough for me.
Goodness rating: 18/10
#5. Seymour, Futurama
After Fry was accidentally transported into the future, his dog waited for him to come back home for twelve years. Twelve years! Such a loyal doggo.
Goodness rating: 18/10
#4. Cheddar, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Cheddar: corgi, secret weapon, master thief. What was stolen? My heart, expertly.
Goodness rating: 19/10
#3. Bolt, Bolt
When Bolt thinks his owner has been kidnapped, he races to rescue her, even after he realises that he doesn’t have super powers like he’s been led to believe by a lifetime of acting in a TV show.
Everybody’s out there telling Bolt that he doesn’t actually have superpowers, but guess what? Bolt’s a dog, and all dogs are super.
Goodness rating: 19/10
#2. Sam, I Am Legend
This good girl dies protecting her owner. She saves Will Smith’s life so that he can go on to cure a worldwide virus and save the literal world. Good girl, Sam.
Goodness rating: 19/10
#1. Balto, Balto
Loosely based off a real-life dog, Balto was single-handedly responsible for delivering medicine in the middle of a blizzard to sick kids. WHAT A GOOD DOG.
Goodness rating: 100/10
In conclusion, all dogs are good dogs but Balto is the goodest dog.