It’s no surprise that I love movies, right? I also happen to be a dog lover, as well. Today I’d like to chat about some of filmdom’s most memorable dogs who weren’t the marquee stars of their movies. You know, the dogs who show up in movies where the plot has nothing to do with them, but they wind up stealing our hearts anyway.

We all know and love films that put our four-legged friends front and center, like Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (bring the tissues), Turner & Hooch (bring the tissues), Marley & Me (bring the tissues), and all those heartbreaking heartwarming doggies. But sometimes a supporting furball leaves their pawprint on a movie meant solely for human consumption.

• Einstein – Back to the Future
  Doc Brown’s shaggy sheepdog was strapped into the DeLorean and had the honor of becoming the world’s first time traveler. Using that powerful remote control, Doc Brown was able to send Einstein one minute into the future and the dog had no idea that anything had even happened. Of course, honorable mention goes to Copernicus, Doc’s little terrier in 1955.
• Baxter – Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
  This is an amazing dog. From the start of the movie, we learn that he can speak Spanish and can get into Ron’s refrigerator without the help of opposable thumbs. He can ingest an entire wheel of cheese. He survives being punted off a bridge by Jack Black. Then, while on his own in the wild, he befriends a clan of bears, learning their language in the process, allowing him to save the News Team from the bears at the San Diego Zoo in the film’s climax. Baxter should really have his own movie.
• Bruiser – Legally Blonde
  I mean… What can you say about this little chihuahua? No… really… what can you say? I haven’t seen Legally Blonde since it first came out and I’m pretty sure I never saw the sequel. I know Bruiser is a chihuahua. And I’m pretty sure Elle dresses him up in outfits… Because isn’t that what all rich white women were doing to their tiny rat-dogs in the early 2000s while carrying them around in their overpriced handbags?
• Toto – The Wizard of Oz
  Where would Dorothy be without Toto on that Yellow Brick Road? In this movie, he’s the catalyst that makes Dorothy decide to run away from home, which then makes her late in returning while her family and the farmhands have taken shelter in the storm cellar. If Toto had never bitten Ms. Gulch, then Dorothy would have been in that cellar and never would have been carried off to Oz by that twister. If it weren’t for Toto, our gang of heroes may never have discovered the truth about the Wizard. And if Toto hadn’t chased after that cat when they were about to take off in the Wizard’s hot air balloon, then Dorothy wouldn’t have been left behind, forcing her to discover that she had the power to return home all along. I think Toto is a lot more important than we give him credit for. No wonder he got paid more than the entire village of Munchkins.
• Dug – Up
  Can’t leave out this guy. I’m with Russell… It’s a talking dog! Sometimes I look at my own dog and see the expressiveness in his eyes or hear his pitiful cries as he tries to communicate some need to me and wish he could just speak up and tell me what he wants. Where can I get a speaker like Dug and his pack had?

Well that’s five dogs that I could come up with off the top of my head. Have I left any important canines off the list? I’m sure my fellow cinema fans and dog lovers can name even more great pups who weren’t the main stars but left their pawprints on film history. Let me know your faves in the comments! And be sure to give your own pup some belly rubs from this dog blogger. Until next time, woof woof!