A group of puppies are stolen from a pet store by two thieves. A St. Bernard (dog) puppy escapes and sneaks into the Newtons' home. The workaholic father, George Newton, doesn't want the responsibility of owning a dog, but his wife, Alice, and their children, Ryce, Ted, and Emily, convince him. They give him the name “Beethoven” when Emily plays a portion of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven) on the piano and the dog barks along to it.