Today, we’re going to celebrate and honor our four-legged friends with the best country songs about dogs.
After all, dogs are not just a pet but their part of the family, and losing one can be very devastating. It’s wonderful to hold on to the memory of the beautiful times you’ve shared and the loving bond that will never be broken. And there’s no better way to do that than a good set of music.
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Keep on scrolling below for some country ballads that tell stories that are likely the same as your own.
1. “Little Boys Grow Up And Dogs Get Old” by Luke Bryan
Written by Bryan himself, the song tells the story of a boy who introduces us to a black lab named Bandit, given to him by his father when he was young. He went on reminiscing about all the fun things they did as he grew up, like going on fishing trips and spending summers together.
All along, he thought they’d be together forever; little did he know, “little boys grow up, and dogs get old.” The song ends as the boy recalled the moment he had to move away from home to chase his dreams in Tennessee. Bandit was 14 by then when he bid him goodbye.
2. “Can’t Be Replaced” by Dierks Bentley
Bentley will make you grab a tissue after listening to the end of his acoustic ballad, “Can’t Be Replaced.” Even Bentley admits that he can’t get through the final verse without crying.
Well, every fan of the country singer knows how much Bentley loves his dog, Jake. In fact, he’s been featured on the cover of Bentley’s debut album and even appeared on stage with the singer at the Grand Ole Opry. Sadly, Bentley found cancer lumps in Jake and died in 2016. He’s been with Bentley’s side for 15 years – “from a single man to three kids and a wife.”
3. “It’s Just a Dog” by Mo Pitney
We all know that dogs are not just a pet, but more like a true member of the family – and Pitney knows that feeling very well. As we can see in this tender ballad, Pitney sings about an old mutt he found on the side of the road on his way home ten years ago.
“It’s just a dog,” he said to himself, but the moment he brought her home, she quickly became a part of his life. She was his constant companion and even kept him sane when his girlfriend broke up with him.
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4. “The More Boys I Meet” by Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood is known for being a big animal lover who has adopted her furry friends. And in this song, she shared her love for her pet by singing how she likes them better than the men she dates.
The country star ticks through the men she’s met, bad taste with big egos – and that’s nothing compared to her warm and loyal dogs.
5. “Like My Dog” by Billy Currington
Here’s another song that tells why dogs are the best. The country ballad finds Currington listing off different things that his furry friend can’t do – like wishing he has more money or complaining why he never gets off of the couch. He tells her girlfriend that she could follow suit. After all, he wants her to love him as his dog does!
6. “Cracker Jack,” Dolly Parton
Well, everyone has a first dog in their child that helped them get through a lot of problems, and it’s Cracker Jack for Parton.
“You might get another dog with a different name,” Parton said, who found Jack wandering by the river as a puppy. “But you’ll always remember that other dog, especially if it was your first one.
7. “Maggie’s Song” by Chris Stapleton
Stapleton delivered an unexpected gut-punch in “Maggie’s Song,” which he wrote as a tribute to their family’s rescue dog, Maggie. It tells the story from the time they found Maggie on a shopping cart at a parking lot to the moments the furry friend kept Stapleton’s kids safe and happy and finally, to one rainy Monday when they had to say goodbye to Maggie.
8. “Ol’ Red” by Blake Shelton
Now, we have this fun, rowdy ballad that’s been passed around through generations. “Ol’ Red” has been previously recorded by George Jones and then Kenny Rogers, but it was Shelton’s 2002 version of the song that became the most popular – along with the music video showing him breaking out of prison, trying to escape from Ol’ Red, the warden’s “four legged tracking’ machine.”
9. “Every Dog Has Its Day” by Toby Keith
Written by Keith himself, “Every Dog Has Its Day” was released in 2010 as the final single off his album American Ride. Unlike the songs above, this one used “every dog has its day” as an idiom about getting lucky from time to time. Still, this country ballad is so steeped in dog imagery, so we couldn’t miss it on this list. Keith even rattled off all the dogs that came to his mind.
10. “Move It on Over” by Hank Williams
“Move It on Over” was Williams’ first major hit, which finds him forced to sleep in a doghouse after coming home late and night, and his wife was so mad, she did not allow him into their home. “Move over, little dog, ’cause the big dog’s moving in,” Williams sang to his four-legged pal as they shared a bed.
So, which among these country songs about dogs is your favorite?
