Eleven-year-old Bobby Cole and his dog Chilly are best friends, living happily in their Southern California beach house. But when Bobby's father Patrick (C. Thomas Howell), a single parent and police detective, accepts a job in New York City, they must find Chilly a new home. In an attempt to show his dad that Chilly can be a city dog, Bobby and his friends teach Chilly the indoor way of life. But Bobby's dad is not convinced, and it's not until Christmas Eve when corrupt dog thief Mr. Quarterman (Tom Arnold) breaks into the family home, that Chilly and Bobby can put their new training to the test! Can they band together to save Christmas -- and Chilly's future with the family?
Zoey, a thirteen year old foster child, watches her foster family's dog get stolen while she's in charge! The criminals, a pair of Home-Alone-like thugs, are after the mutt because he is a famous show dog. Zoey runs away from the desert on a cross-country adventure with her techy new friend in order to track down the dog and save the relationship with her foster family. Throughout the film, Zoey must dig-in and fight for the life she's always wanted, undergoing sudden personal growth in the process.