10 dog tales totally worth your time

Just in time for the dog days of summer, 10 of the better canine movies ever made. (Sorry, no Benjis, Cujos or Scooby-Doos allowed. We have standards.)

By the way, if you've got a favorite dog movie not mentioned here, let me know at dgire@dailyherald.com.

10. "The Shaggy Dog" (1959) Teen Tommy Kirk utters magical phrases and turns into a sheep dog at embarrassing moments. Its camp value holds up. The 2006 remake (with Tim Allen) has cooties. Stay away.

9. "The Plague Dogs" (1982) Two canines escape from a medical research lab and are hunted down for fear they carry bubonic plague. A film noted for its excellent animation and blunt animal rights stand.

8. "Marley & Me" (2008) So you're the one who didn't see this tenderhearted, fact-based tale about a newspaper columnist's pet? Fix that!

7. "The Adventures of Milo and Otis" (1986) A Japanese-made movie narrated by Dudley Moore. If a dog and a cat can depend on each other, why can't the rest of us?

6. "Hotel for Dogs" (2009) Kids save endangered pups by obeying their consciences instead of parents and cops.

5. "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" (1993) Three stranded pets (two dogs, one cat) make their way home across the country. The 1963 Disney original version isn't bad, either.

4. "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961) The Disney animated classic about Cruella deVil's attempt to make a fur coat out of the skins of Dalmatian puppies.

3. "Lassie Come Home" (1943) Fifteen-year-old Roddy McDowall stars in this classic about a collie who makes her way from Scotland to Yorkshire to find her young master.

2. "My Dog Skip" (2000) A 50-hanky drama about a boy surviving 1940s Mississippi and his disillusioned father - with help from a lovable terrier.

1. "Old Yeller" (1957) As if killing Bambi's mother wasn't enough, Walt Disney gave baby boomers this traumatic weepie set in the 1860s American west. It's about a boy who befriends a mangy yellow dog that puts his life on the good side of wonderful.