Yes the dog was the star of the movie, or at least the best part. The kid wasn't bad either.
Actually the leads were OK too with a couple of exceptions. The animosity went on a little too long and Ben's meanness with the shoes was uncalled for and out of place. Then as happens way too often in these movies, characters do a reversal of feelings almost instantly with very little explanation for the change. The ending was generally what you'd expect but there wasn't enough relationship established to justify it. But that's what you get in a TV movie especially when time is spent on other characters like the dog and Caitlin.
There's really no big highs or lows and the only real problem or conflict popped up out of nowhere and was quickly resolved.