Four Great Dog Movies to See with your Labrador Retriever

As a young kid, I had an aversion towards Labrador Retrievers, particularly one named Gus. My first and many encounters with my neighbor's dog Gus involved him forcefully jumping on me, knocking me down to the ground, and licking my face. As you can imagine, I wasn't hopping at the chance to play with any other labs after getting to know Gus.

That was fine with me, however. My whole family was perfectly happy with our two adorable shelties, Pete and Lassie, and we always thought that if we ever decided to get another dog to join our clan, it would most certainly be a sheltie. But, then Bonnie came running into our lives.

One day after church, my family and I were on our way home when all of the sudden my mother yelled, "Stop!" We were about five miles from home in the middle of a gravel road when she spotted a black lab puppy running on the side of the road, the dog's head ferociously tossing in every direction looking around.

My mother swung the Chevy's door open, swooped up the small black dog, and cradled her in her arms. My family then circled around to catch a glimpse of the lost puppy without a collar. The next day, we put up signs and called various shelters around town to see if anybody was trying to find her, but, alas, nobody wanted to find the lost dog. Without an ounce of hesitation, we took Bonnie in and she became a loving member of our family. I quickly forgot about my unfortunate memories of Gus.

I'm much older now, as is Bonnie, but one of our favorite things to do together is snuggle up in my down comforter and watch a movie. Although she isn't able to express it, I know Bonnie loves the experience just as much as I. For those of you who are looking for a movie to watch with your dog, look no further than these four must-see films.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

This movie is for anyone who remembers their first dog. The dog that started it all; the dog that made you love dogs. It's about two dogs and one cat that get separated from their family and end up making any every effort possible to make it home. Along the way, the trio must work together, survive in the wild, and overcome their personal Achilles Heels. You dog will certainly chime in during the film's action with an excited bark or two, and the final scene will have you cheering and tearing up at the same time.

Best in Show

If you are active in dog shows, please don't watch this movie. You'll be horribly offended. If not, pop a bag of popcorn, grab a cold one, sit back, and prepare to enjoy. It's a hilarious dark comedy that pokes and prods at the dog show industry and all its notorious pretentiousness and stuffiness. When I first heard about the film, I was skeptical, but I can say that it's probably one of the best comedies I've ever seen. And I'm sure that if Bonnie could comment on it, she'd give it two paws way up.

My Dog Skip

I've only seen my father cry two times in my life. Once was when his mother passed away. The other was when we watched My Dog Skip. This is a film that tugs firmly at your heart strings and reminisces on those quintessential adolescent years that everybody goes through when sometimes the only things you have are a shred of self-confidence, a lot of curiosity, and a dog by your side. Have tissues on hand during this movie. Trust me, you'll need them for you… and maybe even your dog.

Air Bud

It's been several years since I last saw Air Bud, but I can still perfectly recall every scene. It's a family film about a lost boy who finds an equally lost dog that ends up helping bridge the boy's family members back to each other. Sure, it sounds like just another cheesy dog movie, but it isn't. Air Bud has a solid plotline, great character development, and an awesome basketball-playing dog. What more could you ask for? Just from watching this with Bonnie, I can almost certainly say this was her favorite of all these four movies. But you'd have to ask her to know for sure.

Sometimes a rainy day or a lazy Sunday afternoon calls for a movie occasion. The next time yourself wanting to pop in a film and hang out with your dog, try one of these four great dog movies.

Four Great Dog Movies to See with your Labrador Retriever is a Guest Post by Maria Rainer:

Maria Rainer is a freelancer blogger who believes that online learning is at the cutting edge of higher education. In her mind, the online degree path is an ideal one for students who want an education that fits the needs of a web-centric society. Please write her some comments!