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In 2011's Margin Call, what is the significance of the recurring references to Sam Roger's (Kevin Spacey) dog?
Edit (fleshing out question): Does he have the dog put down? He does mention that it is costing him 1000 dollars a day to keep her alive and they show him comforting her on what looks like a table at a veterinary hospital. There's also the point about burying her in the lawn of his ex-wife.
His dying dog is a metaphor for his compassion to those negatively affected by the economic crisis. The dog is used as a device to portray his empathy; the death of the dog reflects his lost moral sense, evident in his decision to stay at the firm and profit on the losses of others.
The dog is a metaphore for his job and the business he is in (or at least the team that he is running). Rogers is a compassionate character, but also a practical one; he cares about the work, but is not afraid to take hard decisions. His speech at the end shows that he recognises what he has done. The film focuses on his moral choices.
The dog is a selfish indulgence - he spends a fortune on it. It is sick with cancer, as is the company he works for. Both are living on borrowed time, being kept alive by money. In the end, when it is clear the music has stopped, he puts the dog down and likewise kills his current business (by destroying the relationship with his clients). He has no control over either event. In the end, he accepts what has happened, buries the dog, mentally buries the events of that day (he decides not to quit) and moves on.
