In my paper, I examine two films, namely Dog (dir. Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin, 2022) and Because of Winn-Dixie (dir. Wayne Wang, 2005), from the perspective of how they depict the positive effects of dogs on people suffering from the consequences of trauma. The movies show different life situations and characters, however, I argue that in both films, the dog is portrayed as a partner who provides a motivating force for the human character to survive and makes them realise that there is life and joy after the traumatic experience. Although the main characters’ conditions of life differ, I examine how each film uses sound effects and music, speech acts between the dog and the human character, and visual symbols to demonstrate that the dog’s presence has a therapeutic effect on the respective human characters: a former U.S. Army Ranger suffering from PTSD in Dog, and a ten-year-old girl whose mother abandoned her in Because of Winn-Dixie.