VindictiveJudge

Technically, Sirius is the dog in the story.

The ‘dead’ status is more properly ‘unconscious’ in Final Fantasy games, and is sometimes actually translated that way. FF5 even has a scene where they try using phoenix downs on a genuinely dead character and it doesn’t work.

Like a wombat?

And for a huge portion of the show he was the only ally they had.

Ellie’s death is impressive because it works despite the viewer only having known her for ten minutes with no spoken words.