 Ty Burr in "The Boston Globe" found "the human scenes in "Firehouse Dog" are perfectly acceptable on the level of a heartwarming family B-movie" but "that dog—or, rather, that digitally enhanced replicant—is just plain creepy".While Carrie Rickey of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" called it "a touching, family-friendly entertainment about a dog and his boy",

Chris Kaltenbach of "The Baltimore Sun" felt it was "too busy being inspirational and cuddly to be funny or pointed" and "plays out as though its plot was stuck in molasses".Frank Lovece of "Film Journal International" capped his review by suggesting that, ""Firehouse Dog" should be put to sleep before it can do the same to audiences".