Here’s one way to make us hate a character: Have them kill a dog. It’s how we meet malevolent political monsters like House Of Cards’ Frank Underwood and The Dead Zone’s Greg Stillson (in the book, at least); it’s how we know Alfie Allen’s rich brat villain has gone too far in John Wick; and it’s how we realize the depth of Mark Wahlberg’s madness in Fear. That scenes such as those can serve as potential deal breakers for some sentimental consumers (this writer included) has prompted the (admittedly logical) response from cranks who just don’t get it: People die in movies all the time, so why is the death of a dog so upsetting?
Well, much of it has to do with the fact that humans and dogs are not equal combatants (dog-on-dog death is at least a little more digestible). Also, no dog chooses to be mean or evil (even Cujo had rabies!); they are simple creatures whose violence is borne out of self-defense and paranoia (almost inevitably caused by humans), thus giving them an innate purity. People are born flawed; animals are not.
A new piece in MEL Magazine tackles this topic, the article reacting specifically to a marketing tactic on the part of new film The Mountain Between Us in which it was confirmed that the dog lives.