Six Dogs Who Saved Christmas

1. Olive the Other Reindeer
When one of Santa's reindeers is injured, little Olive journeys to the North Pole to offer her services as a substitute. Santa is skeptical at first but not only can Olive fly, she i.d.s the mean mailman who's been sending Santa hate mail and sniffs the bandit down to retrieve Santa's bag of toys. GOOD DOG. You've earned those antlers!



2. Max, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Who can resist Max, the lovable pooch who reluctantly helps the Grinch steal Christmas from the Whos, but who gets gooey at the sight of a Whoville holiday? If it weren't for Max's iceberg-melting smile, would the Grinch's heart have grown three times that day?


3. Santa's Little Helper, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"
Homer's attempts to drum up some Christmas cash at the track fail miserably and he dreads returning home empty-handed. But then, a Christmas miracle happens after all: The losing dog he bet on, Santa's Little Helper, is abandoned by his owner, giving Homer and family the best Christmas present of all: A dog (and a scrap of dignity).


4. Lady, Lady and the Tramp
Although he didn't know it at the time, disaster was averted when John Dear gave Darling little Lady as a Christmas present. They got a dedicated guard dog in the cocker spaniel, who goes on to save her master's baby from a vicious rat. And with Tramp and pups joining them under the tree the next Christmas, it's a jolly holiday indeed.




5. Zero, The Nightmare Before Christmas
"There goes Christmas!" sobs the blobby little Halloweentown boy when a thick fog makes it impossible for Jack Skellington's skeleton reindeer team to take off. But then Jack remembers Zero's glowing Jack-O-Lantern nose and the day is saved! Of course, it's still up to Sally and the real Santa Claus to save Christmas from Jack's ill-advised hijacking, but still, for a minute there, Zero did save Christmas.



6. Snoopy, A Charlie Brown Christmas
Sure, Snoopy can play every animal in the school play, but doglike devotion isn't exactly in his repertoire. An already glum Charlie Brown despairs, "My own dog, gone commercial!" when he sees Snoopy's over-the-top entry in a Christmas decoration contest. But Snoopy's decked-out dog house comes in handy when the sad little tree Charlie has picked needs sprucing up. And our favorite beagle's part of the chorus "Ooh-ooh-oohing" the closing Christmas carol. Awwww. Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!