Dogs always die in horror movies and why isn't this a trope?

I realize that killing the dog is a universally pervasive trope, but it frustrates me to no end that dogs dying in horror isn't considered a trope all its own. The instances where a dog makes it through unscathed are few and far between (Gremlins and Mama are examples).

I can't find it now, but I remember reading a discussion thread where people were arguing that dogs die *so* frequently in horror that it somehow transcends being a trope. I think that's ridiculous. I feel that it's as embedded in the genre as cellphones without signals.

A horror-specific version of Shoot the Dog or Shoo Out the Clowns?

Shoot the Dog doesn't mean that. It means when a bad action is the only choice for the heroes.