Hallmark Programs Often Feature Animals

Dogs, cats, horses, and other animals often help draw people together, and Hallmark movies often blend romance and pets into programs. Pixabay photo

“This is a delightful book! It is like a Hallmark movie in written form.”

These are the words of a book reviewer regarding my first Pet Rescue Romance novel, Rescue Road.  I felt – and continue to feel – honored by her words.  One of the aspects of research I conducted while writing the book was the Hallmark Channel ® — for a few years, this television network ran many romance movies that featured dogs and cats. I watched and re-watched most of them as my brain not only developed that first book but thought out a series of at least three books (now, my hope is to create five or six!).

Hallmark Movies Featuring Animals

If you are a Hallmark movie junkie, particularly of sweet romance stories, and you love animals as I do, I’ve created a list of the movies I watched not only for research for my stories, but also for entertainment. Watching movies is a great way to spend time during the winter months, and these movies are clean and fun (especially when a dog or cat, or both, are part of the story!)

Love at First Bark – Starring Jana Kramer, Kevin McGarry, and “King” the dog (plus other pups): https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/love-at-first-bark/about-love-at-first-bark

Eat, Play Love – Starring Jen Lilley, Jason Cermak, and “Beasley”/Gidget, the dog (plus other pups): https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/eat-play-love

Love Unleashed – Starring Jen Lilley, Christopher Russell, and a bunch of cute puppies: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/love-unleashed

Walking the Dog – Starring Jennifer Finnigan, Sam Page, “Simon” the dog, and “Gidget”/Gidget, the dog: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/walking-the-dog

Like Cats and Dogs – Starring Cassidy Gifford, Wyatt Nash, “Mozart” the cat, and “Frank” the dog: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/like-cats-dogs

The Nine Lives of Christmas – Starring Kimberley Sustad, Brandon Routh, and “Ambrose” and “Queenie” the cats: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-nine-lives-of-christmas

Of these six movies, my three favorites are the two starring Jen Lilley and The Nine Lives of Christmas. The reason? The characters work with adoptable/stray animals, finding and/or giving them new homes.

“Kitten Bowl” is a Hallmark program that runs on Super Bowl Sunday and features adoptable cats and kittens. Pixabay photoOther Hallmark Programs Featuring Animals

Pet rescue and adoption are two of my passions, and I like watching shows that promote those causes. In fact, Hallmark Channel has created a program called Adoption Ever After. The network provides adoption resources and airs both “Kitten Bowl” (which will be telecast on February 7, 2021) and “Hero Dog Awards” (in partnership with the organization American Humane).

A beloved, favorite Hallmark show, When Calls the Heart, has featured special animals during the early seasons. Rip, a basset hound, was the furry companion of Canadian Mountie Jack Thorson; his horse, Sargent, was also showcased several times. A young boy named Cody was given a yellow lab named Dasher in a Christmas episode, and viewers saw the boy playing with his dog several times; Cody even brought Dasher to school for show and tell in one episode.

NOTE: When Calls the Heart, seasons 1 to 5, can be seen on Netflix, but that will end on January 25. Therefore, catch those seasons during this next week before they are gone! Season 8 begins on Hallmark Channel next month, and Season 7 episodes can be watched on HallmarkChannel.com here: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/when-calls-the-heart.

So, if you enjoy Hallmark movies and programs that feature dogs, cats, and horses, check out the listings I’ve provided. With Valentine’s Day coming up in less than a month, some of these movies might be airing again – you can find the scheduled line-up of movies here: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/schedule.

 And keep in mind the deadline to watch When Calls the Heart on Netflix where you can catch episodes with Dasher, Rip, and Sargent! https://www.netflix.com/title/80036407

Enjoy the programs!

Romantic adventures oftentimes involves involves animals, whether horseback riding on a beach or volunteering at a rescue sanctuary, such as Best Friends Animal Society in Utah and Kindness Ranch in Wyoming. Unsplash photo.

Pet Principle:

American Humane is a national animal advocacy group that began in 1877. In addition to pet rescue and reuniting military dogs with their handlers, the group also endeavors to ensure “animal actors” are safe during film and TV production. This program, called Humane Hollywood ®, includes an initiative called “No Animals Were Harmed” ®, which appears at the end of a program’s credits when American Humane staff have overseen productions using animals. Learn more about this program and the other work done by American Humane (including the Hero Dog Awards ®) here: https://www.americanhumane.org/program/humane-hollywood/