Hollywood Hounds

By this point in term, student dog owners start whimpering. 

The thought of our canine friends back at home living their doggy lives while we struggle through essay after essay fills us with a sad longing. But when the photos just aren’t enough, there’s always youtube. So sit, stay, and scroll down for five of my favourite Hollywood Hounds.

Cosmo off of Beginners

Let’s begin at Beginners. Christopher Plummer may have won an Oscar for his touching portrayal of gay dad Hal, but the real star of this rom-com-drama is  Cosmo, the Jack Russell Terrier. See how obedient he is. Good dog.

Uggie off of The Artist

Following in the paw prints of Cosmo and Jack Russell granddaddy Wishbone, Uggie was the toast of the red carpet in 2012, strutting his hairy stuff alongside Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo. A nation cried, ‘n’yawww’. Uggie, true to his part, chose to remain silent. Here’s the artist himself:

Spitz off of Fantastic Mr Fox

I haven’t just put this in because I love Wes Anderson. Spitz, the trusty guard dog of farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, is an unfriendly Beagle with a debilitating weakness for blueberries. He’s simply a superb creation. He’s also – the clue is in the name – rabid, excellently foaming at the mouth courtesy of Mr Anderson’s skill with wool. And he garners special respect for being the only non anthropomorphic animal in the whole film.

Hubert the Bloodhound off of Best in Show

Hubert doesn’t really deserve to be in this list, but he is my favourite of the five dogs who feature in this outrageously funny mockumentary simply because he has the most likeable owner. Who couldn’t love Harlan Pepper (the genius Christopher Guest), the huntin’, fishin’, bloodhound rearin’, nut namin’ wonder.

Doug off of Up 

Doug has just met you, and he loves you. And you love him. After crash landing in South America in a house powered by balloons, Carl and Russell meet this eloquent hound with a weakness for squirrels. He’s also the first on-screen victim of the dreaded Cone of Shame:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy-CBs0XNlM

… And the worst

This has to go to Pippin off of Jaws, the fated black lab who disappears into the water, [spoiler alert] never to be seen again. Bow wow, old friend. Bow wow.

(Pippin only features – or rather, doesn’t – between 1.23-31. But feel free to watch the whole damn thing.)

Nice walkies? Good. Now go back to being a human.