A Dog's Journey - Ending Explained

"A Dog's Journey" follows the soul of the dog Bailey through several reincarnations with the explicit purpose of protecting CJ, the granddaughter of his original owner, Ethan. After Bailey dies as an old St. Bernard mix on the farm, he is first reborn as Molly, a beagle puppy who becomes CJ's childhood companion, helping her through the loneliness of her mother Gloria's neglect. Molly's life ends tragically when she is hit by a car following a confrontation between a teenage CJ and her abusive boyfriend, Shane. Bailey is then briefly reincarnated as Big Dog, an English Mastiff at a gas station, where he learns the importance of being someone's dog, reinforcing his mission to get back to CJ. His next and final life is as Max, a tiny Biewer Terrier. As Max, he successfully orchestrates a reunion between the adult CJ and her childhood friend, Trent. Through Max, CJ and Trent's relationship blossoms. A key reveal occurs when an elderly Ethan visits CJ and recognizes Bailey in Max after he performs a specific trick—flipping over Ethan's back—that only Bailey would know. This confirms the reality of Bailey's journey to a stunned CJ. The film's climax sees CJ and Trent getting married and having a child. Gloria, now in recovery, reconciles with CJ, bringing the family back together. The story concludes with the death of the elderly Ethan. Max (Bailey) passes away shortly after. In the final scene, Bailey's soul is shown running through a golden field, morphing back through his various lives, before crossing the Rainbow Bridge and being joyfully reunited with Ethan in the afterlife, bringing his long journey to a complete and peaceful end.

While the film is largely presented as a straightforward, heartwarming tale, some critics have offered alternative readings. One interpretation views the film's premise as somewhat morbid, given that it relies on the repeated deaths of a beloved canine character to advance the plot. Roger Ebert's review, for instance, humorously questions if the film is one of the "sweetest canine films out there, or one of the meanest." Another perspective critiques the film's simplistic and morally black-and-white world, where characters are either wholly good or conveniently villainous, lacking nuance. The treatment of CJ's mother, Gloria, has been described as one-dimensional and hostile by some critics, suggesting a lack of empathy for a character struggling with grief and addiction. Furthermore, the film's blend of spiritual concepts can be interpreted as a "sugar-coated, bastardized form of Buddhism for pet lovers," which prioritizes emotional payoff over theological consistency.