A Classic Dog Story That Tugs at Every Last One of Your Heartstrings

Recently I rewatched one of my childhood favorite movies for at least the hundredth time (no exaggeration!), the 1943 classic “Lassie Come Home.” I hadn’t watched it for a whole six months! 

This wonderful dog story never fails to pull every one of my heartstrings (does anyone know what a heartstring actually is?) as it shows Lassie’s dogged determination (get it?) and loyalty to her boy, Joe. Joe’s father has to sell her (interestingly enough, Lassie is played by a male collie named Pal) because they are so poor. As Lassie is  being lead away, she looks back for Joe who is at school, and her confused and sad expression just breaks my heart!

Of course, “Lassie Come Home” is the story of her escaping from the cage her new owners put her in and traveling 229 miles back from Scotland to Joe’s home in Yorkshire, England.

What made this movie so endearing to me as a kid, and even more so now as an adult, is that you see everything happening through Lassie’s eyes from her perspective. 

The scenes where Lassie is waiting patiently for Joe to come home from school every day at 4:00, both before and after her journey from Scotland, are so well done that it just automatically makes me smile every time I see it. 

This movie stars a young Roddy McDowell and a young Elizabeth Taylor. Roddy does a wonderful job playing Lassie’s boy Joe. No, his name is not “Timmy,” and he never falls in a well.

This is a great family movie to watch with your kids, but beware! It might not just tug at every one of your heartstrings, it might also make your kids want their very own Lassie, too.