Best Hallmark Channel Movies For Animal Lovers, Ranked By Reviews

Romance is nice and magic is fun, but the secret to an amazing Hallmark Channel movie? Casting a super cute animal! Even Hallmark stars themselves enjoy working with them, including Lacey Chabert, who said her favorite co-star was a dog in 2022. There are so many amazing Hallmark Channel new releases in 2026, but one that caught our eye is "Christmas in Blue Dog Valley" about a veterinarian in a small town for the holidays. That movie got us thinking — is there any ailment a cute puppy or adorable kitten can't fix? Not from our point of view! In honor of this, we've ranked the best Hallmark Channel movies for animal lovers by reviews.

To determine what Hallmark Channel films to include in the ranking, the movie had to be about a kind of animal, feature an animal as a main character, or have animals central to the plot. The movie also needed to have at least 1,000 reviews on either IMDb or Letterboxd to ensure it is popular enough to truly be one of the best. From there, we added up the movie's IMDb and Letterboxd weighted ratings and ordered them from least popular to most popular. For movies with the same score, the one with the greatest number of rankings was rated higher on the list. So, settle in with your own furry friend and pick one of the amazing movies on this list to watch.

The holidays are better with a dog, right? Mia (Jessica Lowndes) thinks so, as she brings home a stray dog she found while working solo over the holidays in "Happy Howlidays." But when she meets a dog shelter owner named Max (Ezra Moreland, winner of the "Finding Mr. Christmas" competition), her dog gets a friend in Max's dog, and she gets a friend to take her around Seattle. Despite its cute premise, this movie only has 5.7 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 2.4 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, at last check, making it the lowest ranked on the list.

She may not be lucky in love, but Bailey (Erika Christensen) is lucky with dogs in "My Boyfriends' Dogs." She always gets custody of her ex-boyfriends' dogs when they break up, making her the proud owner of three adorable pups. She can never find someone who loves dogs as much as she does, until she meets a cute guy at a pet store. One person wrote on Letterboxd, "The dogs stole the show," with a heart-eyes emoji. Enough said! This one has 5.9 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 2.9 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, at the time of writing.

In "Eat, Play, Love," Dr. Carly Monroe (Jen Lilley) has a crush on the owner of a local dog shelter, Dan (Jason Cermak), who is sadly planning to move to New York with his fiancee. This one wasn't a favorite with Hallmark viewers, as one person wrote, "I like a cheesy romance and I like dogs so this should be right up my street. But sadly, this is not good." This movie has 6.1 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 2.9 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, at last check.

A hot fireman and a litter of adorable, fluffy kittens? Yes, please! "The Nine Kittens of Christmas" is a sequel to "The Nine Lives of Christmas," with Brandon Routh and Kimberley Sustad returning as Zachary and Marilee, respectively. This time, they have to work together to find homes for the abandoned kitties. "They purred, they frolicked, they gambolled, they answered phones. All the usual good cat stuff. A+," someone commented on Letterboxd. As of writing, this movie has 6.6 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 2.8 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd.

In "Love at First Bark," Julia (Jana Kramer) is an interior designer with a bunch of dog-related projects, including training her own dog. So when she asks dog trainer Owen (Kevin McGarry) for help, she might discover more than just puppy love. "Love at First Bark" has 6.3 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 3 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, as of writing. "Could not be more happy that this movie exists," one person commented
on Letterboxd.

Dogs and cats are cute, but have you ever fallen in love over swans? It might happen for Jack (Jason Lee), the gruff widowed dad who owns the farm a family of swans decided to call their own in "Away & Back." Ornithologist Ginny (Minka Kelly) comes in to help the birds in this heartwarming tale. At time of writing, "Away and Back" has 6.3 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 3 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd. "I love the swans, the wildlife conservation theme, and the scenery," one person wrote on Letterboxd, giving the film a four-star rating.

"Christmas at the Catnip Café" is one of our favorite Paul Campbell Hallmark movies. He stars as a veterinarian Dr. Ben Kane, who owns half of a cat café in upstate New York. When Olivia (Erin Cahill) inherits the other half from her aunt, she has her heart on selling it — unless the handsome vet can convince her how important it is to the town. This film features adorably cozy cats and has 6.8 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 2.8 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, as of writing. 

Kira (Lacey Chabert) unexpectedly inherits a wildlife reserve in South Africa in the Hallmark flick "Love on Safari." She travels there and meets the stunning animals, and the hunky head ranger, Tom (Jon Cor). The latter has to convince Kira to work with him and revitalize the reserve. This wild film has 6.6 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 2.9 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, at last check. One person commented on Letterboxd, "Ranger Tom is cute but not as cute as the giraffe."

Bella (Brittany Bristow) needs help to save her dog rescue center, and soldier JR (Chris McNally) comes home at the right time in "A Tail of Love." This one has a beautiful German Shepard dog and tons of other adorable pups at the rescue. "The two leads had cute chemistry, but LOVED the dogs!!!" one person commented on Letterboxd. Per last check, this movie has 6.5 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 3.1 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd.

Nothing brings people together like a dog! In "Love to the Rescue," single parents Kate (Nikki DeLoach) and Eric (Michael Rady) clash when both of their kids want to bring the same dog home. Instead of fighting, they decide to co-foster the dog and might get more than they bargained for in this cute movie. "Love to the Rescue" has 7 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 3.2 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, at the time of writing. "Probably one of the better Hallmark movies I've seen," one person praised on Letterboxd.

"Love and Sunshine" is one of the most beloved Hallmark Channel movies about animals, with 7.2 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 3.1 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, at last check. Ally (Danica McKellar) leans on her retired military foster dog, Sunshine, as she nurses a broken heart — until Sunshine's military partner, Jake (Mark Deklin), returns home for the pup. This sweet story is, "One of Hallmark's best, hands down," according to one happy reviewer on Letterboxd.

Cat lovers rejoice: this Hallmark Channel movie is all about a furry feline. In "The Nine Lives of Christmas," a fireman named Zachary (Brandon Routh) doesn't like commitment. But he didn't factor in a stray tabby cat who needs his help or the cute veterinary student, Marilee (Kimberley Sustad), who offers to assist him. This purr-fect film has a 7.2 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 3.1 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, as of writing. One person said on Letterboxd, "Would highly recommend to anyone who loves to see cats roll on their bellies." So, everyone?!

"A Dog Named Christmas" is a tear-jerking Hallmark Channel movie about a young man with a developmental disability named Todd (Noel Fisher), who begs his reluctant dad George (Bruce Greenwood) to foster a dog from the animal shelter over the holidays. The dog he picks is named Christmas, of course, and changes Todd's life in a way no one expected. "the sweetest movie EVER EVER EVER EVER," one person wrote on Letterboxd. As of writing, this heartfelt movie has 7.5 out of 10 stars on IMDb and 3.3 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, making it the highest-rated Hallmark film about animals (so far).