"White Dog" with Kristy McNichol (1981)

The dvd is great. KM is sympathetic without trying too hard or acting too much. The movie was shelved because it tested badly with audiences at the time, and because the films premise sparked protests from the Black community (unbeknownst to KM's character, the dog she adopts had been previously trained to attack Black people), but the movie is very good. Worth a look.