Are you a dog show fan? Love your pooch? My dogs don’t have much of a sense of competition, or a sense of honor among breeds. The ten year old lab snored through Best of Show and the two year old Yorkshire Terrier did not seem in the least disturbed that her breed did not win, place or show in the Toy Dog category in this week’s Westminster Dog Show. But there is one place where all dogs, regardless of breed, can be a winner. It is the movies of course.
Browsing our shelves today, I came across Movie Mutts: Hollywood Goes to the Dogs. This concise book offers endearing pictures and a bit of history of such movies heroes as Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. But a quick browse reminds the reader of more modern mutts. For family fare, there’s the silly Beethoven, and the adventurous crew in the Homeward Bound movies, the heartwarming Sounder and Benji, as well as My Dog Skip.
In the category of more “sophisticated” viewing, Verdell the dog proved to be easily bribed with bacon in As Good as it Gets and Turner and Hooch proved that dog slobber, while messy, does have its humorous moments. In a sweet comic performance, Jeneanne Garofalo plays a vet with low self-esteem in the romantic comedy, The Truth About Cats and Dogs.
Here’s a doggone good question for today. Which actress voices Sassy in Homeward Bound and utters my cat’s favorite line, “Cats rule, dogs drool?” What's your favorite film featuring man's best friend?