books/movies where the dog dies

lizardlady · Feb 01, 2020, 05:04 PM

I don't know if this actually needs a trigger icon, but better safe than sorry, right?

I am a critter lover. I love to read. Makes sense I like books about critters, right?

I hate, and I mean HATE books and movies where the critter dies. Years ago when VCRs first came out my mom told me about this hysterical movie she and my dad watched called Turner and Hootch. She laughed when my reaction was "The dam dog dies!!!!!"

I loved the humor in the movie, but then they had to go and kill the dog! I was so pissed!

I've learned if I'm interested in a book about a critter I flip to the end to see if they die. If so, I don't read the book. I might be missing out on some good books, but am not willing to subject myself to the upset.

That said, I'm reading a book about a service dog for a wounded warrior. As usual, I checked the end of the book before starting it. Sure enough the dog dies. A friend highly recommended the book. I figured I'd stop reading before the dog died. Well, I'm reading along, everything is going okay. Then with no warning the dog dies!!!

I didn't get the chance to stop reading because BAM there it was. This is stupid of me, but I'm sad, fighting being depressed, because of a stupid book!

happysobercrafter · Feb 01, 2020, 05:32 PM

(((((((((((((((Honeybunny))))))))))))))))

Please, don't call yourself stupid! You have a big heart!

I am the same way!! I cried in that movie and the one with Jim Belushi, I cried when the dog was shot. The dog lived, but still! That was the K-9 series.

I read "Where the Red Fern Grows" years ago and I can reread it now but I avoid the last part where the heartbreak is. It is too upsetting!

Although, I do cry with characters I like die in programs I watch. And I know it is made up, but it still gets to me. Like in the second season of NCIS when Kate was murdered, omg, I was so upset! And Sister Evangalina in Call the Midwife died, gutted too.

When Robin Williams and Alan Rickman died? I still can't watch anything they are in. I dread Maggie Smith dying; I will go into full blown mourning.

lizardlady · Feb 01, 2020, 05:40 PM

Thanks HappyCrafter. Seems we have similar reactions. Old Yeller and The Red Pony ripped my heart out as a kid. I cry over characters on TV and in movies too. Dobby in the Harry Potter books. The members of the ka-tet in the Dark Tower books by Stephen King....

happysobercrafter · Feb 01, 2020, 05:52 PM

Ohhhhh, Dobby!!!!! And Dumbledore! Tonks and Reemus and Fred!! Les Miserable kills me as did 12 Years a Slave and anything about the Salem Witch Trials.

Society fuels so many lies, it takes therapy to get past so many of them!

TishaBuv · Feb 01, 2020, 06:10 PM

When my kids were little I took them to a kids’ movie, “A Dog of Flanders”. The dog dies, and if I remember correctly, I think the kid dies!

What kind of a kids’ movie was that? It was the saddest thing we ever saw! We were bawling!

Pavlov's Cat · Feb 02, 2020, 06:32 AM

I think it's extra sad when the dog dies because we see them as innocent, and they are often dependent on us.

It helps to remember that dogs just live in the moment, and as long as they die relatively easily, they won't have suffered much. Plus, they're carnivores, so they live mostly by eating other animals. These thoughts help to settle my emotions.

possum220 · Feb 03, 2020, 08:55 AM

It's horrid shock when that happens.

I just wanted to share then name of other books. Was the book about the service dog and the wounded veteran called 'Until Tuesday'? I found that to be a good book. I also read a book called 'A Street cat named Bob'. That is also a real life story. They even made a movie about that.

lizardlady · Feb 04, 2020, 06:29 AM

I loved both of those books Possum! From Baghdad with Love is another positive, uplifting book.

The book I just read was A Dog Called Hope.

possum220 · Feb 04, 2020, 06:51 PM

Thanks for the names of those books I will see if I can get them.

I just checked my local library and will get them both. Yipee.

lizardlady · Feb 04, 2020, 09:26 PM

Enjoy Possum!

nonightowl · Feb 08, 2020, 02:32 PM

I remember both books and the movies of 2 titles when I was kid that made me cry because of a dog dying: Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller.

I also remember one called Sounder, which they made a movie about too.

Years ago, I read Until Tuesday, about a veteran with a service dog. I did love it, but I don't recall the dog dying?

It isn't necessary that they do that in kid's movies, but maybe they think it will teach them about death in a way they can understand? I don't know...

In one of the books of the One Second After trilogy by William Forstchen (something like that), a dog dies. I've also come across this happening in random novels, ones that are not specifically about pets or animals. I love cats too, and something happened to a cat in one of the Blade Runner books I read. It wasn't necessary to the plot at all! Just pissed me off.

In the Warriors books I'm reading, I've tried not to get attached to any cat since all of a sudden, kitty can die! It can be from injury, attack, or an accident. I like these books but have to read with the right mindset.

lizardlady · Feb 08, 2020, 07:28 PM

Owl, the dog does not die in Until Tuesday. Several of us mentioned it as a good book where the dog lives.

I'm glad you mentioned cats die Warrior books. I've been thinking of reading them. Not going to if kitties die.

partyofone · Feb 12, 2020, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizardlady

I don't know if this actually needs a trigger icon, but better safe than sorry, right?

I am a critter lover. I love to read. Makes sense I like books about critters, right?

I hate, and I mean HATE books and movies where the critter dies. Years ago when VCRs first came out my mom told me about this hysterical movie she and my dad watched called Turner and Hootch. She laughed when my reaction was "The dam dog dies!!!!!"

I loved the humor in the movie, but then they had to go and kill the dog! I was so pissed!

I've learned if I'm interested in a book about a critter I flip to the end to see if they die. If so, I don't read the book. I might be missing out on some good books, but am not willing to subject myself to the upset.

That said, I'm reading a book about a service dog for a wounded warrior. As usual, I checked the end of the book before starting it. Sure enough the dog dies. A friend highly recommended the book. I figured I'd stop reading before the dog died. Well, I'm reading along, everything is going okay. Then with no warning the dog dies!!!

I didn't get the chance to stop reading because BAM there it was. This is stupid of me, but I'm sad, fighting being depressed, because of a stupid book!

It's not stupid at all, and there are lots of people like you (OK, like me too) who have the same reactions!

I also bet a lot of us remember 'Turner and Hooch.' I sure do, because I accidentally took my 7-year-old daughter with me to 'Turner and Hooch,' suspecting nothing. After all, it had Tom Hanks in it, so nothing could go wrong, right?

Well, you know what happened, and there were at least 2 females sobbing and crying, and my little girl choked out: 'They killed the dog! How could they kill the dog?'

I don't know why animals in books and on the screen do this to us, but I suspect it's partly because animals are a kind of reserve for our feelings about who's truly innocent in life and in some way reflects our feelings about ourselves. . . . Then again, maybe we're just big softies. I sure am, and my daughter still is too. And she still hates 'Turner and Hooch.'

nonightowl · Feb 20, 2020, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizardlady

Owl, the dog does not die in Until Tuesday. Several of us mentioned it as a good book where the dog lives.

I'm glad you mentioned cats die Warrior books. I've been thinking of reading them. Not going to if kitties die.

I meant to write I can't remember if the dog died in Until Tuesday.

I wasn't saying the dog did die. It was too long ago that I read that book. I missed the posts where people said the dog lives in Until Tuesday. I have a time limit and scroll through without being able to read everything.

Turner and Hooch did have some gross scenes with the slobbering. I didn't like that, but as mentioned I really hated it when the dog died. The puppies were adorable of course.

Yes, Liz in the Warriors books-kitties do die.

It can either be from illness, attack from a predator, attack from a rival Clan, or an accident like falling off a cliff. Hence, as I read, I try not to get attached to any cat and brace myself for things I can see are about to happen. I skip the pages about the cat fights, as they get too graphic.

The books are of the juvenile genre, so they are for young readers. Personally, I think they have too much violence for such young minds, and there are tragedies. Cats can betray one another, switch alliances, etc.

In short, they are anthropomorphized cats. I think they are about life in general---how you can miss a friend who moved away (cats can join other clans), miss a friend that died, etc.

Cats are also born.....so new cats and new generations appear in each series. Not to downplay any death at all...I hate that, but new ones come along. Someone on Goodreads said the books glorify feral cats.

Still, I enjoy them. They are 99% dialogue and it's the dialogue I enjoy the most. "Hey, mousebrain! You're making too much noise. I'm trying to nap here."

"Ugh! Is that what the Twolegs feed you? It looks and smells like mouse dung!" (Humans are referred to as Twolegs in the books; cars/trucks are monsters.)

"Well, you're too polite to be a rogue cat like me, and too fat to be a forest cat. So you must be a kittypet."

lizardlady · Feb 21, 2020, 09:42 AM

Oh Owl, I love the dialogue you quoted.

nonightowl · Feb 22, 2020, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizardlady

Oh Owl, I love the dialogue you quoted.

I thought you might!

I wasn't sure I was going to even read this series after reading the first book, Into the Wild. It wasn't what I thought it would be, but I decided to keep going. It gets better as you go along, I think. (Just like the first book in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger, was not the best. You have to get through that to get to the much better stuff.

)

Warriors books also have some Romeo-Juliet romances between cats. I love how they will defy the Warrior code by saying things like , "I don't care about the code. I love her!" It was so cute, two cats from different Clans sneaking off to be alone.

I also enjoy how various cats form friendships, or alliances at least, and how each cat has his/own personality!

Here's another line, something like this: "I'm sorry, but I have to get on home. I will miss you all, and thank you for letting me stay with you to rest and eat. But I miss my house folk, and not all humans are bad,really. I can't live like this, having to hunt for food and worry about predators and other dangers. I need to know I will have food/water in my belly and a warm, safe bed when I want it."

And "Oh mousedung!" is like saying "Oh crap!" Or Oh something else, LOL.

So, Liz, if you skip the sad parts and concentrate on dialogue only, you might like them.

nonightowl · Feb 29, 2020, 02:45 PM

Sorry, Liz as I guess I'm" hijacking" your thread about dogs and I'm writing about cats!

Just a bit more dialogue I can't resist:

Graypaw: "Hey Firepaw, I think Sandpaw likes you."

Firepaw: "She's just a friend!" But his fur felt hot and his paws tingled. He does like her beautiful green eyes....And he looks forward to being around her.

Graypaw: "Uh huh. Right......"

Also have to mention the cats have StarClan, which are the spirits of their ancestors they look to, for guidance. Of course, some cats don't believe in that "nonsense" and think it's all just a myth...

Leaders get 9 lives, granted to them by StarClan. Hence, the suffix "star" at the end of their name. Each Clan has a leader, deputy, and medicine cat.

Guess I got carried away with these books! I'll be quiet now.

lizardlady · Mar 01, 2020, 08:35 AM

No worries hon. I think I'm going to try the books

possum220 · Mar 01, 2020, 07:58 PM

Books on dogs or cats is good.

nonightowl · Mar 07, 2020, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizardlady

No worries hon. I think I'm going to try the books

Great!

On the subject of dogs, there's a series called Survivors by Erin Hunter as well. (It's a pseudonym for multiple authors). It says "It's time for dogs to rule the wild". I don't know if these are lost pets or wild dogs, but it's about a pack of dogs trying to survive in the wild. I didn't research it much, but given the subject of surviving, I'm thinking terrible things happen.....

There's also a series called Seekers (I think), about young bears trying to survive.

And one called (I think) Bravelands. It's about an orphaned baby lion, baboon, and elephant trying to survive. I didn't want spoilers so I didn't look up too much about it. I believe those are the 3 species.....not sure. I do know there's probably over 100 juvenille books by this author, all about animals.

They have been around awhile. I don't know if any of them have been made into movies or if it's in the works.

Travelinglady · Mar 09, 2020, 05:38 PM

I hate it when any pet dies, As a writer, I was told not to "kill" a pet in a book. I agree! I even cried when the deer was shot in that movie I can't remember the name of. The deer kept getting in the garden. I saw it as a child and cried my eyes out.