13 Movie Doggos Ranked By How 'Good Dog' They Really Are

Dogs have been a part of human history for thousands of years, and they truly are man's best friends. It didn't take long after the invention of film for dogs to begin appearing alongside their human masters, and by the mid-20th century, dogs transitioned from faithful pups to movie stars in their own right.

There have been thousands of prominent pups in movies and television for decades, but not every dog is a good boy or girl. Some are downright terrifying, as anyone who's seen "Cujo" knows all too well. Fortunately, the best movie dogs aren't the ones who frighten us — they're the ones we wish we could pet, play with, and call our own. Whether they're heroes or someone a person relies on for love and support, there's no denying dogs' importance in film.

Many are heroic figures in fiction, while others are based on real dogs living among us. Whatever their story, every one of these dogs made a significant impact on popular culture. They're ranked by how "good dog" they all are based on their impact in their own movies and in popular culture. As you'll see, some of these pups, whether animated or real, all made their mark in the movies that featured them.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" delivered tons of cameos, featuring a plethora of people from past Marvel projects. It also includes the Deadpool Corps, which brings into the fray at least 100 Deadpool variants from Nicepool (Ryan Reynolds) and Cowboypool (Matthew McConaughey) to Headpool (Nathan Fillion) and Welshpool (Paul Mullin).

Nicepool, an uber-Canadian version of Deadpool, has a very unusual pet: Mary Puppins, otherwise known as Dogpool. Dogpool is played by Peggy, a 5-year-old pug and Chinese crested mix, and she's also Britain's ugliest dog. Deadpool takes an immediate liking to Dogpool, even going so far as to call her a "Unicorn," which is probably his highest compliment.

Dogpool is a devoted and loving pup, which is evident thanks to her protruded tongue. Though Mary Puppins isn't his dog, Deadpool gets really comfortable with that tongue — most of their time together on-screen is spent with the dog licking him. She doesn't do much in the film other than win over Deadpool's heart upon their first meeting. Beyond that, she wears a Deadpool-inspired costume equipped with goggles and is thankfully left out of the final battle. Despite her appearance, it's easy to see that Dogpool is a very good dog.

"The Fox and the Hound" tells the story of a red fox named Tod and a hound named Copper. The film features an all-star cast, including Mickey Rooney as Tod and Kurt Russell as Copper. In the film, Tod and Copper meet when they're both newly born and still learning their places in the world. Copper and Tod become fast friends upon meeting and don't understand why they're meant to be enemies.

Copper is destined to be a hunting dog and is told he must see Tod as his enemy. Copper scoffs at this and insists their friendship is real. It's a lovely message that mirrors how young children often find friends easily while society often drives them apart. Tod and Copper mature into adulthood, and Copper has finished training to become an exceptional hunting dog.

Meanwhile, Tod attempts to see his friend after their long separation, which causes problems. Ultimately, a bear steps in, and both Tod and Copper attempt to save Amos (Jack Albertson), Copper's owner. When Amos points his weapon at Tod, Copper stands his ground, refusing to move away, proving that he's not only an amazing friend but an honorable hound willing to sacrifice himself for a friend.

"Air Bud" centers around Josh Framm (Kevin Zegers) and his dog, Buddy. The two meet on a makeshift basketball court behind an abandoned church after Buddy flees an abusive owner (Michael Jeter). Josh quickly learns that Buddy has an uncanny and natural ability to play basketball, so he takes him home, and his mother (Wendy Makkena) lets him keep Buddy.

Eventually, Josh joins his school's basketball team, the Timberwolves. During his first game, Buddy escapes and sinks a basket. The crowd loves Buddy, and the team makes him their mascot, letting him perform during their halftime shows. The Timberwolves make the State Finals, but an injury takes out one of the players. Buddy is subbed in because, it turns out, there's no rule saying a dog can't play basketball. Buddy not only plays ball for the Timberwolves but leads the team to victory.

Buddy is an amazingly talented movie pup who's hard not to love, and the success of "Air Bud" gave him a franchise consisting of a whopping 14 films. The real dog who plays Buddy never got to see that success — he died one year after the film's release, in 1998, at only 9 years old.

Zero is an interesting dog because, unlike most movie pups, Zero is 100% dead as a doornail. Of course, that's not surprising, given that he's Jack Skellington's loyal companion in "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Zero looks like a ghost dog, as his body appears to be made up of a flowing white sheet, while his head clearly resembles a dog — basically, if someone said "ghost dog" to you, odds are, you'd picture Zero.

In the film, Zero does more than merely follow his master around. He's more of an additional protagonist opposite Jack. Zero is loyal and caring, and he even takes the place of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer when Jack commandeers Santa Claus' sled. In the fog of the night, Zero's orange, jack-o'-lantern nose lights up, guiding them through to safety.

Zero has since made appearances in several properties, including video games and his own manga series, "Zero's Journey." In the book, Zero finds himself in unfamiliar territory in Christmas Town as Jack looks for him. Tokyopop's manga is a sequel to the original film with story approval from Tim Burton himself. The comic celebrates everyone's favorite ghost dog, who is a wonderful character but doesn't get enough screen-time in "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

Director Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is a fictionalized version of the events surrounding the Manson Family murder of Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Brad Pitt plays Cliff Booth in the film, and he has a lovely pit bull named Brandy. Pitties don't get much positive attention in films, but Brandy demonstrates why they shouldn't be such a misunderstood and oft-maligned breed.

Members of the Manson Family, Tex (Austin Butler), Sadie (Mikey Madison), and Katie (Madisen Beaty), break into Rick Dalton's (Leonardo DiCaprio) house looking for trouble. They find it, but first, they find Cliff tripping on acid. When Tex moves to shoot Cliff, the stuntman orders his dog to attack. Brandy bites Tex's arm, saving Cliff's life, then goes for his crotch ... hard. He then sics Brandy on Sadie.

Brandy is the very definition of a "good girl" in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," as she is more than ready to put her life on the line to protect her family, making her one of the biggest heroes in the movie. Brandy was played by three pit bull terriers: Sayuri, Cerberus, and Siren. Their performances earned Sayuri the Cannes Film Festival's coveted Palm Dog Award, which was presented to Tarantino at the ceremony.

Gromit is one of the two protagonists in the many "Wallace and Gromit" animated films. Animator Nick Park first introduced Gromit alongside his mad scientist pal, Wallace (Peter Sallis), in 1989's short "A Grand Day Out." Since then, they've appeared in a number of shorts and feature films, and in every one of them, Gromit is the brains of the operation, not his human companion Wallace, who often disrupts things and causes all kinds of problems.

During all of Wallace's shenanigans, odds are, Gromit will roll his eyes or facepalm before jumping in to save the day. He's the perfect example of the sidekick who actually runs everything due to the hero's incompetence. That's not to say Wallace isn't a great character, but he pales in comparison to his faithful dog. When Gromit's not busy fixing Wallace's problems, he enjoys reading, knitting, and inventing.

Of course, Wallace seems to be the only person unaware of his pet's true abilities. That said, whenever Wallace is in trouble — which is often, he calls for Gromit to help him out of whatever sticky situation he's gotten himself into. Gromit has the documents to back up his intellect, as he's a graduate of Dogwarts University, with a degree in engineering.

"Beethoven" is a family comedy centered around a St. Bernard who is stolen from a pet store but escapes and finds himself in the home of the Newton Family, George (Charles Grodin), Alice (Bonnie Hunt), and their three children. The film was written by Edmond Dantès, who you may remember as the hero of "The Count of Monte Cristo" — but in this instance, it's a pen name for John Hughes.

The Newtons name the new pup Beethoven after the dog barks along to Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony." While he starts out small, as most puppies do, it doesn't take long for Beethoven to grow up into a massive, slobbering, messy dog. St. Bernards are huge animals, and George isn't too happy having his life disrupted by such a messy inconvenience. Fortunately, he comes around after Beethoven is dognapped. The family comes to Beethoven's rescue and also sets free a pack of captive pups, saving the day. 

"Beethoven" was a hit upon its release. It remains one of the most wholesome movies with a dog for a main character, and the film spawned a franchise consisting of seven more films, a TV series, and a video game. Beethoven was played by Chris, whose trainer described him as "being lazy and drooly and hanging around the house." Chris appeared in the first "Beethoven" film and died at the age of 12, which is longer than the breed typically lives.

"Old Yeller" is one of those films where "If you know, you know" comes into play because it traumatized children for more than 60 years. Despite this, it's also one of the few Disney films with a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is set in the late-1860s, just after the Civil War ended, and centers around the Coates family. After Jim, the father leaves, Katie (Dorothy McGuire) is left to raise their two teenage sons, Travis (Tommy Kirk) and Arliss (Kevin Corcoran), on her own.

Travis finds a black mouth cur, which he adopts and names Old Yeller, reflecting the dog's yellow coat and his bark. Arliss utterly loves Old Yeller, though he's a lot to handle because he steals meat from the smokehouse and eggs from the chicken coop. He proves his worth by scaring away an angry momma bear, winning the family to his side. Throughout it all, the rising tide of a rabies epidemic rears its ugly head, brought by feral hogs. Later, Old Yeller fights off a rabid wolf, keeping him away from the family. It's a bittersweet moment — while Old Yeller demonstrates his love for his family, the family knows that he likely contracted rabies. Ultimately, this is proven to be true, and in the end, Travis reluctantly shoots Old Yeller, knowing there is nothing else they can do to save him. The titular dog was played by Spike, a rescue from an animal shelter in Van Nuys, California.

You don't sit down to watch a movie called "All Dogs Go to Heaven" without realizing a dog will die in the film. This is absolutely true, but the way it's handled shows just how easy it is to fall in love with a lovable pup. The film is set in 1939 New Orleans and centers around a dog named Charlie B. Barkin (Burt Reynolds), who runs a casino alongside his pup partner, Carface Caruthers (Vic Tayback). Carface takes the business for himself and kills Charlie.

Charlie dies and goes to heaven, where he's told the film's title, as all dogs are inherently good. Unfortunately, Charlie isn't excited to be dead, as he wants revenge on Carface, so he escapes back to Earth. An angel tells him that he won't return to heaven and will go to hell once he dies. Charlie reunites with an old friend and meets a young orphan girl, Anne-Marie (Judith Barsi). She can talk to animals, and Charlie uses her for his own nefarious purposes. Eventually, Carface takes her, and Charlie learns an important lesson about doing the right thing. He rescues Anne-Marie, sacrificing himself in the process. He returns as a ghost to reconcile with Anne-Marie and is welcomed back into heaven.

Even if you've never seen the Japanese film "Hachikō Monogatari," odds are, you know the story from social media posts. The film is a dramatic telling of a real-world dog, an Akita named Hachikō, or Hachi for short. He's adopted by Hidesaburō Ueno (Tatsuya Nakadai), an agricultural professor who forms a bond with Hachi as he matures into adulthood.

Whenever Ueno comes home from work, Hachi is there to greet him at the end of the day. Hachi becomes a mainstay at Shibuya Station, where he's often noticed for his prompt, tenacious arrival. Sadly, Ueno dies suddenly while at work, leaving Hachi to wonder where he is. During Ueno's funeral, Hachi runs after the procession, unwilling to see Ueno leave for good.

Hachi returns to Shibuya Station every day, where he dutifully awaits Ueno's return. The film ends nearly a decade after Ueno's death and closes on Hachi's own demise, but after the dog's death, he reunites with Ueno in the afterlife. Hachi's story was also told in an American film starring Richard Gere, "Hachi: A Dog's Tale." While it's unclear what the animal actor's name is in "Hachikō Monogatari," three Akitas named Layla, Chico, and Forrest star in the American version.

"Up" opens with one of the most heartbreaking montages in cinematic history but slowly pulls away from the misery to show Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) that life is worth living even without his beloved Ellie. This is accomplished via a little boy named Russell (Jordan Nagai) and a dog named Dug (Bob Peterson).

Dug is a Golden Retriever who speaks through a special collar translator built by explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). Unfortunately, it becomes apparent that Muntz isn't the hero Carl worshipped as a child when he sends his pack of dogs after Carl, Russell, and Dug, all in pursuit of a rare bird Muntz has pursued for decades.

Dug, for his part, isn't the smartest of talking dogs, nor is he the best at paying attention. Still, Dug is loyal and has a kind heart, and he helps Russell and Carl save Kevin from Muntz, becoming a hero along the way. Dug is a great dog, and any dog lover would love to have him as their beloved pet, talking collar or not. Fans eager to see more of Dug's adventures can find some "Dug Days" sequel shorts on Disney+.

Few animal actors are as famous as Lassie. Of course, Lassie is a character and isn't always played by the same dog, but in each movie starring the faithful rough collie, Lassie proves herself to be an amazing pup. Lassie first appeared in a short story published in 1938, which was followed in 1940 with a novel, "Lassie Come-Home." That novel was adapted into Lassie's first feature film: "Lassie Come Home" in 1943.

While she's appeared in numerous television series and movies in the years since, her first foray into feature films made a significant impact on popular culture. It's hard not to love Lassie, as she's depicted as an incredibly intelligent and capable dog who will do anything and everything to protect the people in her family.

"Lassie Come Home" is set in Depression-era England, and the dog is sold by her family to a wealthy duke (Nigel Bruce). Lassie continuously escapes from her new owner and is taken to Scotland. She manages to escape once more and manages to trek across England to her original home in Yorkshire, where she's finally reunited with the family who begrudgingly gave her up at the beginning of the film. Lassie was played by a male Rough Collie named Pal, who appeared in eight more films and four episodes of a TV show as Lassie before he died in 1958 at the age of 18.

Toto is the faithful little Cairn terrier dog who accompanies Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) on her adventure into the Oz. Toto is an interesting companion, as he's clearly intelligent, cares greatly for Dorothy and her companions, and is a protagonist nearly as much as Dorothy.

Oddly enough, Terry, the female Cairn terrier who appeared in the 1939 film, was paid more than many of the actors appearing in the movie. Terry performed with gusto, and because of the popularity of the film, her handlers eventually changed her name to Toto, which was probably a bit confusing for the tiny terrier. Because "The Wizard of Oz" is one of the most-watched movies ever made, Toto made an impact that continued long after the animal actor's death in 1945.

Toto is arguably one of the most well-known cinematic dogs ever, and the character has appeared in all manner of movies and TV shows over the years. While Toto isn't always played by a Cairn terrier, the spirit of Toto and how important he is to Dorothy and popular culture as a whole makes Toto the best dog of the pack.