There are many great shots in this movie, a variety of spectacles both big and small. Those interstitial establishing shots of the American base are perfectly lit. Very showy, nicely dramatic. Particularly at night. But even the modest/unassuming shots, like that cozy image of the two watching the VHS tape and passing around a joint, have staying power.
Why the shot of the dog? I feel like to describe it would be to reduce it somehow. It just works on a visceral level. If I was pressed to explain, I guess I'd ramble about the unnerving stillness of the dog. And, just as unnerving, the steadiness of his observation. He's watching the returning crew with keen interest. He's sizing up his new circumstances. To what extent has he been "found out"? It's not that dogs aren't capable of close observation or calculation. But because of the context of the story, the viewer imagines an extraterrestrial intelligence at work behind the dog's eyes.
Carpenter could have easily made the dog's villainy feel cartoonish, but instead he creates the vibe through a few decisive images, the best of which is this very alien (and alienating, for the viewer) moment of observation.
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