• By Scruffy
• Posted Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Our Favorite (K-9) Movies About Dogs

K 9 DVDs at Your Local Public Library: Beat the Heat of the Dog Days of summer with a furry friend (as told to librarian Billy King by his best friend Scruffy)

OK, so here’s the scoop (not the poop). The only school I’m allowed to get near involves obedience so my reading skills are literally for the dogs. Instead of books I’m giving you a pack of good movies to watch in the comfort of your own home, preferably on the cool floor with a good bone to gnaw. (I prefer elk antlers, they don’t splinter). All of these movies and sometimes their sequels, prequels and remakes can be checked out for seven days before you get fined. You can now get SEVEN movies at once. That’s a lot of puppy love.Type the title in the library’s online catalog to find the branch that has the DVD. I’d do if for you but you know, paws.

Take a sniff at my best-in-show and have a howl of a good time. I’m out of here. Gotta see a man about a hydrant.

• Lassie Come Home (1943). A classic film with an equally classic beauty. Also in the film, Elizabeth Taylor. Lassie is separated from her loving owner, a very young Roddy McDowell, and must find her way back home. A lot of dog movies are about incredible journeys over long distances with heart- stopping escapes and noble acts. Why do people keep losing track of their dogs?

• Lady and the Tramp (1954). Disney does Romeo and Juliet for the bow wow set. A pampered and posh pooch falls for a streetwise stray. There is a famous scene where they share a plate of spaghetti. They had me at meatball. The animation and action will thrill the pups and their parents will love the romance and music. Peggy Lee wrote many of the songs and performs them like a champ. Beware of evil Siamese cats.

• Benji. (1974). This handsome and lovable mutt has been around for 41 years! Do you know how old that is in dog years? Some claim that this is the first film where the dog does the acting and the humans are the props. I must agree. He gets into some hairy situations but he manages to save the day. He won the hearts of millions and made a lot of kibble in the process.

• All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). Of course they do. Logically that means all cats go somewhere else, right? This animated film offers a lot of action and suspense. Burt Reynolds is the voice of a con artist German Shepherd who gets a second chance on Earth by helping a sweet orphan girl. Dom DeLuise plays a Dachshund and his best friend.

• White Fang (1991). Is there anything better than a story about a boy and his wolfdog? They have each other’s back several times and the beautiful Alaskan scenery makes you want to run wild and jump over drifts and then roll around in the snow and then shake until it flies everywhere and… (Sorry) I hear there’s a book called this too by somebody named London who knows Jack about Alaska and dogs.

• Air Bud (1997). Fun fact: there is no rule that dogs can’t play basketball and why should there be? It’s not all about frisbees you know. Buddy the Golden Retriever proves that Michael Jordan was not the only one in the 90s who could catch air. He also saves the day for his human buddy who has lost his Dad and gets bullied in a new school.

• My Dog Skip (2000). Once again it’s about a boy and his dog. It never gets boring. This time the dog, Skip, is a Jack Russell terrier and and the boy is that kid from Malcolm in the Middle. The story takes place in 1940s Mississippi as told by the boy as a grown up. Skip helps his buddy fight bullies and bad men and helps him make friends. There are some really scary and sad scenes (keep the hankies handy).

• Marley and Me (2008). This is a true story about the life of a Labrador Retriever and the family he owns. We see him grow from a rambunctious puppy to an aging companion. I hope you saved some of those hankies. Owen Wilson plays “Me” and he has a nose that would make a Bloodhound proud. Jennifer Aniston is his wife and she’s a good Friend.

• Frankenweenie (2012). Tim Burton directed this animated film so you know it’s going to be creepy fun. Remember Beetlejuice? (Don’t say it three times!). A young Victor Frankenstein finds a way to bring back his little buddy who has died. You know how well that usually goes.

Bonus Treat (Good Boy!)

• Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan (2006). Something about this guy mesmerizes me. I want to do everything he says. It’s like he’s training dog owners how to teach their little buddies how to behave properly. Right. Like that could hap…. Look! Squirrel!