Dog

Jackson Briggs, a U.S. Army Ranger suffering from PTSD, tries to apply for a rotation position in Pakistan, but is deemed unfit for service due to a brain injury. He is notified that his friend and former partner, Riley Rodriguez, was killed in a car accident the night before. The morning after attending a memorial service at a local bar, Briggs is called in to Fort Lewis on a special assignment to escort Riley’s military dog, Lulu, a Belgian Malinois with a history of aggressive behavior, to attend his funeral in Nogales, Arizona, after which he is to bring her to White Sands, where she will be euthanized. Initially hesitant, Briggs agrees when his commanding officer, Jones, promises to recommend him for the position.

On the road, when Briggs stops at a shooting range, Lulu breaks out of her cage and destroys the inside of his 1984 Ford Bronco. Frustrated, Briggs hides sedatives in a hot dog, causing Lulu to fall asleep after she eats it. In Portland, Oregon, Briggs tries to hit on women in a bar, but most are repelled by his brash personality. Outside, he meets two friends, Bella and Zoe, who invite him to their house for a threesome. While Briggs is inside, Lulu panics, alerting a neighbor. Believing her to be the victim of abuse, the neighbor frees her from the car, but is promptly attacked. Briggs runs outsides and pulls them apart, but Bella and Zoe are disturbed by the display and lock Briggs outside.

The next morning, while on the Pacific Coast Highway, Lulu climbs out of the back of the car, forcing Briggs to pull over and chase her through a nearby forest. They stumble across a marijuana farm in the woods, where Briggs is tranquilized by the farm's owner, Gus. He wakes up tied to a chair in the shed, but he is able to escape. He reunites with Lulu, who has injured her paw, and is being treated by Gus's wife, Tamara. Briggs and Gus reconcile by looking through Lulu's "I Love Me" book, which contains photos from her service during the War in Afghanistan. After Lulu is treated, Tamara gives Briggs a psychic reading before Briggs and Lulu continue on the road.

In San Francisco, Briggs cons a free hotel room by pretending to be a blind veteran, with Lulu as his seeing-eye dog. Briggs takes her to his room and gives her a bath. He tries to leave the room, but Lulu barks until Briggs relents and brings her with him. In the lobby, Lulu attacks a Middle Eastern man, Dr. Al-Farid, and Briggs is arrested for a hate crime. At the station, Briggs is put in a lineup, where he apologizes to Al-Farid, who agrees not to press charges on the condition that Briggs seek professional help for his behavior. While retrieving Lulu, the medic reveals that she has anxiety. In Los Angeles, Briggs tries to visit his estranged 3-year-old daughter, Sam, but his wife, Niki, does not allow him to. Briggs visits Noah, a former Army Ranger who adopted and rehabilitated Lulu's brother, Nuke. Noah teaches Briggs to bond with Lulu in terms she understands, allowing him to form a deeper connection with her.

After leaving Noah's, the car breaks down during a thunderstorm, forcing Briggs and Lulu to shelter in an abandoned barn. The next morning, Briggs and Lulu hitchhike to Nogales in time for the funeral, where Briggs stays with her to keep her calm during the traditional rifle salute. Afterwards, while Briggs gets his truck repaired, he calls Jones and tells him that Lulu's condition has improved, but Jones is unconcerned. Briggs drives into the desert and encour