25. The Shaggy Dog (2006)
OH GOD THE EYES. What a waste of a perfectly good shaggy dog. Would not, could not hug.
24. Zero in The Nightmare Before Christmas
You can’t hug a ghost.
23. Copper, the hound in The Fox and the Hound
Copper is a bad friend and a real dud and I won’t hug him. Don’t show me the puppy pictures, I can’t be swayed.
22. Slink in Toy Story
A real cutie, but where would my arms go?
21. Gromit in Wallace & Gromit
Flaubert said, “We must never touch our idols; the gilt sticks to our fingers.” With Gromit I’m worried about the clay.
20 and 19. The Lady and The Tramp
The sexual tension between these two dogs makes me profoundly uncomfortable.
18. Milo from The Adventures of Milo and Otis
Also too well-developed as a sexual being for my liking, but it’s easier to overlook because he’s a pug.
17. Toto in The Wizard of Oz
I have nothing against Toto, but I’ve never thought about hugging him. Maybe he’s too small?
16. Old Yeller
Steals meat and chickens. Lets a child off the hook for tormenting a bear. Fathers puppies willy-nilly. Has rabies. All in all a very bad influence. But look at that face!!
15. Balto
Yet another dog just looking to get laid, but at least he saves Nome from diphtheria! When I have a hard time getting through a run, I think of this scene:
14. Winn Dixie from Because of Winn Dixie
I haven’t seen this movie, but I would absolutely hug this dog.
13. Shiloh
Everything Copper could have been, but wasn’t.
12. The Footstool Dog in Beauty and the Beast
He’s so wiggly! Look at his tassle-tail!
11. Air Bud
Think of the victory hugs we’d share!
10, 9 and 8. Sandy in Annie (1982, 1999, 2014)
All good dogs, and getting better with time.
7. Beethoven
Man, I love a good large-skulled dog.
6. Dug in Up
Imagine hugging Dug! He’d probably say, “I’m hugging you because I love you.” I love you, Dug!
5. Lassie
A really good dog.
4. Roly from 101 Dalmatians
I think about “I’m hungry, mother, I really am” at least once a week. All 100 other Dalmatians can go screw themselves for not recognizing Roly as the best.
3. Max from The Little Mermaid
Probably the whole reason Ariel wanted to live on land. The source of all of Prince Eric’s personality.
2. Hercules/“The Beast” from The Sandlot
A near-perfect dog. Not ranked higher because of drool. As my friend Ryan says, the Boo Radley of this film.
1. Nana from Peter Pan
She just looks like she could really use a hug.
Other Dogs of Note, in No Particular Order: Skip from My Dog Skip, “Benji,” whoever that is, the dogs in The Incredible Journey, that sheepdog in Babe, Will Smith’s dog in Independence Day, the dog who starts the Twilight Bark in 101 Dalmatians, and also the Colonel, who seems cool, the less creepy Shaggy Dog from 1959, the aggressive sled leader in Snow Dogs that Cuba Gooding Jr. subdues by biting his ear, Baxter from Dodgeball, post-return, The Beverly Hills Chihuahuas.
*I would hug any of them.
Tags: alison howard, animals, dogs, movies, nostalgia
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Shadow from The Incredible Journey! All the sniffs.
The Beast/Hercules from The Sandlot…oh my God do I love that movie. Occasionally I will pronounce forrrevER Squints style, but nobody gets my joke unless they were born after 1980.
I saw the 1963 movie as a kid, presumably because my grandmother had pirated a video tape of it, and in that one, it’s Bodger the bull terrier, and no matter how many times I saw it, I was always all worried and choked up at the end that somehow, this time, Bodger might not make it. I am tearing up now thinking of it.
I want to hug Shadow so bad.
It’s probably been 15 years since I’ve seen The Incredible Journey and just thinking about the scene where they think Shadow is gone but then he comes limping over the hill because he couldn’t leave his boy Peter…I’m crying right now.
Also, that Super Bowl commercial with the puppy and horse that are best friends and the puppy almost gets taken away before all the horses run to help gahhhhhh.
I don’t even have to be in the room for the final scene of Incredible Journey to start crying. In the realm of Good Dogs, Shadow is the best.
One of my cats follows me around wherever I go, and I nearly started to call him Shadow. Then, I think of the end of Homeward Bound, and I get all misty-eyed. I can’t call my kitty Shadow without nearly crying every time, so I’m just sticking with Mr. Cat.
Well there goes my productive day of job hunting. It’s popcorn and Balto time.
The exact same thought crossed my mind. Screw cover letters; give me Balto!!
I would hug Nana so bad, because I nearly cry every time she gets in trouble at the beginning of Peter Pan. Mr. Darling is a huge dingus, we all agree on that, right?
(also when she barks at the children when they’re leaving for Never Land. I also tear up then.)
I highly recommend Second Star to the Wrong, the Peter Pan episode of Beyond Belief. It portrays Mr. Darling as the asshole monster he really is.
Did you ever read the book? Mr. Darling feels so bad about how badly he treated Nana (since in the book the children are gone much longer than a few hours) that he decides to lock himself in a cage and have his cage carried to work so that every time anyone asks about it he has to explain the totally rotten thing he did so all his neighbors think he sucks and Nana is great (until they eventually agree that he is being totally contrite and has repaid his wrongs, or something, man that book is really, really strange.)
That is beyond bizarre, so it says a lot about Peter Pan that this part didn’t stand out.
Whenever Balto comes up I always have to bring up Togo, who led the longest and most dangerous leg of the serum run, but didn’t become as famous as Balto because he didn’t actually bring the serum into Nome. Obviously EVERY dog in the run is a hero and they all deserve to be hugged, but not many know about Togo (and the movie leaves him out completely) so I like to mention him.
I would hug Scotty from Lady and the Tramp. Also the lady dog that sings “he’s a tramp”. I would also hug Copper because he saved his friend in the end!
I hope there is a follow up of cats you would tentatively pat on the head to see if they would tolerate further pets.
I want to see ‘cats who would draw my blood ranked in order of how fast they’d claw me when I pet them’ but only if the Siamese cats from Lady & the Tramp are the top seeds.
Also now I have their damn song going through my head and I can not STAND that horrible racist bullshit screechy song. They deserve to make everyone bleed for being dealt that song.
Scritches. They must be proper headscritches, not pats, as my cats tell me.
I would snuggle with Trusty from Lady and the Tramp. I want a Trusty.
I would add Dodger from Oliver and Company but isn’t that basically just like hugging Billy Joel? I don’t think I would want to do that.
Naw, El Dodge’s got that cute fuzzy gray muzzle.
On the other hand, come to think of it, so does Billy Joel now.
BALTO
I will say no more on this matter.
I said I wasn’t going to say anything more, but then I watched the Balto video ON MUTE at work, and now my entire body is vibrating from holding back tears at my desk. (I was A Wolf Girl as a child, as opposed to A Dragon Girl…or *shudder* Horse Girl.)
I watched it with the sound on, and it’s a full on waterworks here, let me tell ya
EVEN SILENTLY THAT WOLF IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PIECES OF ANIMATION I’VE EVER SEEN LIKE AN ACTUAL WORK OF ART
Well I didn’t THINK I would cry but I sure did! (Still a Wolf Girl here, my shirt and the blanket I’m wrapped in have wolves on them and I’ve got a big ole wolf tattoo on my arm )
I have never seen the movie, so I watched that scene and was confused. Why doesn’t the wolf eat Balto? Why are Balto and the wolf approximately the same size? And where are the rest of the dogs and the musher?
1. In the movie, Balto is a wolf-dog hybrid, which means that he is scorned by the other sled dogs, because dogs are racists. The wolf recognizes Balto’s dual nature, and by affirming their bond, gives Balto the confidence to embrace the strength of his wolf ancestry and get the serum through. Or possibly the wolf just wasn’t hungry.
2. Sled dogs tend to be fairly large, which may be why wolves occasionally view them as compatible for sexing up. The movie does not address this point in any great detail. However, this does raise the possibility that the wolf in this scene was trying to put the moves on Balto. It wouldn’t have worked out though, since Balto already has a girlfriend back in town, and dogs are strictly monogamous.
3. The rest of the team is at the top of the cliff, which Balto has to scale while dragging the crate of serum using the uncanny climbing ability of his wolf heritage, because wolves are famous for their climbing skill. The musher was knocked unconscious earlier in the film when the sled ran off the trail, so he was lashed to the sled by the dogs, as they are trained to do in such a circumstance. All this misfortune has been orchestrated by a rival sled dog who cannot stand the idea of sharing the traces with a mongrel wolf-dog. Did I mention that dogs are racists?
Thank you for that great explanation!
The wolf is his moms! And she’s awk telling him to believe in every part of himself, even the icky part, so he will play his wolf strengths and survive in the wild. I think it’s implied they don’t speak the same language or something because she doesn’t use her words? (Balto. Still in love with a cartoon doggy.)
Proposed title for the hard-hitting follow up piece: “Whose a good dog? Oooh, who’s a good dog? Are you a good dog? Yes, you are.”
ETA: My main concern when watching Independence Day in the theatre was whether or not the dog was okay.
There is a whole website called doesthedogdie.com or somesuch so you can watch or not watch with impunity!
This post would be great except for its egregious lack of Toby from the Great Mouse Detective. How many other doggies make STAIRS out of their ears? I ask you.
Agreed x 100
I would want to hug Spot from See Spot Run, a movie I have seen only because it stars a bull mastiff.
I’m really enjoying all the Dog Content on the Toast recently.
(Baxter is from Anchor Man, not Dodgeball)
Charlie from All Dogs Go to Heaven. He does good in the end 😉 I can also definitely hear Anne-Marie saying “Oh Charlie” in my head.
That is the best dog movie of all time and I will accept no arguments. My stepson has a friend named Charlie he’s a big dumb goof and I have said “Oh, Charlie” channeling Anne-Marie on more than one occasion after witnessing a few of his antics.
OH NO I CAN HEAR IT NOW TOO
What do you call how she pronounces/slurs the l and r sound? It’s like… indulgently cute.
Cannot like this enough.
I have a lot of opinions about this list because I am a very judgmental dog lover, but I will focus on the positives like Dug! Air Bud! Herc!
Also yes to Shadow! And also MichaelJFoxdog.
Is Turner & Hooch not technically a kids’ movie? Because I would put Hooch on there. HE SOLVES CRIMES.
But he is SO DAMP. Slobber EVERYWHERE.
That said, I would hug him because I have never in my life seen my dad laugh as hard as he did the first time we saw “Turner & Hooch.”
Napoleon in the Australian movie of the same name is also a very important puppy to cuddle.
Okay, not a movie, but the fictional dog crush of my youth was Belle from Belle and Sebastian. I still have a huge soft spot for white Pyrenees because of him.
YES!!!! I had to watch every episode when it was on Nick, b/c I was so worried “The White Monster” was sure to be killed in the next episode and somehow my watching saved him!
I can’t believe neither Wishbone or Ein from Cowboy Bebop aren’t on this list. (My #1 is obviously Ein, which is why I have my own real-life Ein-proxy to hug, AND HE IS JUST AS CUTE AND SMART and I am living my Best Life.)
Wishbone was, for a long time, THE CENTER OF MY UNIVERSE. Very sad not to see him on this list.
WHAT’S THE STORY WISHBONE? DO YOU THINK IT’S WORTH A LOOK? IT KINDA SEEMS FAMILIAR, LIKE A STORY FROM A BOOK.
I love how you are either commenting anonymously or this comment predates your official account to the Toast. This is what brought you here. Doggies.
I actually met the dog from Beethoven when I was a kid. I tried to hug him but I was prevented from doing so by a CASCADE OF DROOL. He’s cuter from a distance.
And if we’re ranking Will Smith’s dogs I would go with the dog in I Am Legend because of the emotional bond. But it might actually be the same dog actor, so whatever.
YES! As soon as I saw Will Smith mentioned I thought of I Am Legend. I love that dog and that dog is the reason I’ve only watched that movie once.
Personally I think of the line in 101 Dalmatians where they’re in the snow and one puppy is like, hey mom my nose is froze and my ears are froze and my tail is froze, etc., WAY too often
OH YEAH that’s a winter constant!
I QUOTE THIS LITERALLY EVERY DAY BETWEEN MID NOVEMBER AND MID MARCH
Yes, me too! I just showed my husband this to make him see that there are others like me.
Husband and I literally lie in wait for opportunities to quote this…
“…and my TOOOOES are froooze…”
maybe someone else into fictional dogs can answer my question: what are your favorite dead dogs in art/literature/comics/movies whatever
i’m seeking catharsis
Manchee, The Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness
MANCHEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still not over it 🙁
The angel dogs in the book Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant. Sometimes God hides behind a tree and watches the angel dogs play. God is depicted as favoring casual slacks and a jazzy purple hat.
Pom-Pom in Eva Ibbotson’s ‘The Dragonfly Pool’. You will laugh with joy between the tears. Pom-Pom lived a long and pampered life, and at the end of it, was an unlikely and accidental hero.
If The Shaggy Dog (2006) qualifies as a “classic kids’ movie,” then humanity can just give up on making movies right now. In fact, we should probably give up on making kids too.
Also WHERE IS SNOOPY? A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)? Snoopy Come Home (1972)? How could you… how could you not even think about wanting to hug Snoopy?
how could you not even think that 🙁
BOLT! C’mon, people. I refuse to believe I’m the only person who wants to hug Bolt.
Also: either of the main dogs in Homeward Bound, anyone?
I love Homeward Bound with all my heart….Chance! SHADOW!!
The dog in Radio Flyer! I would hug the hell out of the dog from Radio Flyer.
Roly FTW. Also, is it just me or does Toto seem like kind of a dick?
He looks greasy, too. Wash your nasty self, Toto.
I would add: Cu from Song of the Sea (which I just saw yesterday).
That whole film was so delightful, and Cu was fantastically huggable. Made me miss my giant childhood puppy.
His curly floppy dog bangs! So cute!
HACHIKO
The worst is watching movies when one has pet rabbits. Rabbits in movies are like Checkov’s gun–the rabbit WILL be dead by the end of the movie, usually in a gruesome way. 🙁
Edit: This was a reply to venicespent. WHY is this still a problem for IntenseDebate??
I would love to hug Missile from Ghost Trick. I would not say no to hugging Missile from Ace Attorney, but between the two, I would definitely choose Missile from Ghost Trick.
What a good dog.
SO MUCH FLOOF
The Lady and The Tramp is my fav
That was my one quibble with the new movie! The dog they used was a Chow/Golden retriever mix who had been shaved for the part, for whatever reason – to look more Shiba Inu-like? idk, but a) the visible shave job was distracting and b) FLUFFY DOGGGGGSSS.
What is your opinion on hugging Scooby Doo?
the pug is otis, not milo!
Thank you! I was about to say just that. 🙂
Where…where is the wheezy dog from Howl’s Moving Castle?
http://through3dcoloredglasses.tumblr.com/post/20…
I just want to contribute Hooch from Turner and Hooch. I want to hug Hooch as an adult, but as a child, I actually wanted to BE him.
The skeleton dog in The Corpse Bride! I would hug him despite his lack of outer coverings, which might make things a little poke-y. But yes, obviously, hug ALL the dogs! (Except the creepy-eyed Shaggy Dog. That thing is an abomination.)
The borzoi from Lady and the Tramp. And all other fictional borzýe.
Okay but POOKA FROM ANASTASIA? The best littlest floppiest dog of all kids movies?? v disappointed that he is not on this list. http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/foxsanastasia… http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/23600000/P… LOOK AT THAT SCRUFFY LITTLE FACE
OTIS IS THE PUG…….YOU FOOL……………