Dog Movies: 10 best animated dog movies and why we love them

Secret Life of Pets

The Secret Life of Pets may not have been just about dogs, but it was a fun look into what our pets get up to when we leave them home alone. And at the heart of the story were two dogs that had to learn to get along and what it means to be family.

Max is a terrier who is spoiled by his owner, until the day a new dog arrives. Duke is a rescue dog who is as unruly as can be. Just like Max doesn’t want to share his owner’s affection, Duke has a hard time sharing, too.

Over the course of the movie, we watch these two go from enemies to reluctant friends as they realize that they work better together than apart. And learning Duke’s back story is actually quite tragic, and left us feeling emotional.

What adds to the cuteness factor of the movie is the fact that we also get to meet all of the animals that Max has made friends with in his apartment building, as well as the neighborhood. There are other dogs, including Gidget, the Pomeranian who is in love with Max, Mel the Pug, Buddy the Dachshund, and Pops the Basset Hound. And of course there are the other animals who make up the cast, such as Chloe the tabby cat and Snowball the bunny. Every one of these characters has a way of making us laugh, cry, and hope that perhaps this really is the life that our pets live when we aren’t home (minus the animal control chase scenes).

And knowing that there is a sequel with even more pets to appreciate has us excited to see if the second movie lives up to the adorableness of the original.