Does the dog die? ‘A Dog’s Perfect Christmas’ ending delivers a twist none of us saw coming
‘A Dog’s Purpose’ and ‘A Dog’s Journey’ by W. Bruce Cameron are almost all about dogs dying and coming back to life, so if you hit play on ‘A Dog’s Perfect Christmas,’ you’re probably prepared for a few tears. This time, though, Winstead and Ruby both make it to the final scene. In fact, director Cathryn Michon warned us on social media ahead of time: “PLOT SPOILER: No dog dies!”
Winstead plays a basset hound, voiced by Thomas Haden Church, who narrates the story from the Goss family home in Traverse City, Michigan. Sander (Dennis Quaid) is the owner and lives there with his son Hunter (Milo Ventimiglia), daughter-in-law Juliana (Kathleen Rose Perkins), granddaughter Ello (Brooke Lena Johnson), and the twins. Sander has been pretty lonely since his wife Barbara died of cancer two years ago. He rarely speaks to anyone - except Winstead.
One day, on the day after Thanksgiving, Winstead spots a little corgi puppy abandoned by the side of the road. Then Ello runs into the same puppy while heading home from school and names her Ruby before taking her home. But there’s a catch: Hunter feels the family has enough on their plate and insists Ruby be taken to a shelter. Ruby escapes out of a car, narrowly avoids being hit by another one, and the driver slams on the brakes just in time. Juliana, who used to be a lawyer before giving that up after her twins were born, tells Hunter she is unhappy in their marriage. She becomes seriously ill on Thanksgiving, and a kidney infection spreads to her organs. The doctors induce her into a coma, and Hunter still insists Ruby must leave. This time, Sander intervenes and tells Ello that Ruby is going to stay.
Meanwhile, Sander starts moving forward. Claire (Mary Steenburgen) and her two widowed friends set him up on several dinners that are sort of like ‘The Golden Bachelor,’ but he cancels on the other two women after spending one evening with Claire. He also sells the convertible he drove with Barbara. On the other hand, Winstead keeps pawing at a book in Sander’s room, and Sander finds a note from Barbara telling him to open his heart again. The movie changes how this moment works. According to Michon’s interview with What’s on Netflix, in the novel, Sander has Barbara’s urn in his hands when he remembers she wanted him to find love again. The film replaces that visual with the note she wrote to him. Michon also added the red cardinal that Winstead links to Barbara, which was not in the novel.
Then, Juliana awakens and begins rehabilitation, but she is not cleared to leave the hospital until Christmas Eve. The family brings the holiday to her, and Sander fakes being blind so he can smuggle Winstead and Ruby into a decorated room. Hunter tells Juliana he refused a VP promotion and instead took a consulting gig he can do from home so she can return to work if she desires. Ello and her classmate Sean (Ethan Loomis) exchange Christmas presents and share a kiss. Sander and Claire stand side by side while a red cardinal flies in. The big reveal comes after Winstead concludes narrating, when we hear Ruby talk for the first time. Sadie Hatch lends her voice to Ruby. ‘A Dog’s Perfect Christmas’ has been streaming on Netflix since November 4.
