Old Yeller

Old Yeller Summary | Plot Summary

The narrator Travis begins the novel by telling why they gave Old Yeller his name. He was yellow, or "yeller," in color and he had a loud bark. Travis says how Old Yeller made him so mad when he first came that he wanted to kill him but when he had to kill him later on it is really hard, since he had come to think very highly of the dog. Old Yeller arrives in the late 1860s, the same time Papa leaves to Abilene on the cattle drive for money. Travis is left behind with his brother, Little Arliss, and Mama to take care of the place and protect and provide for the family. Travis finishes the chores for that day, including plowing between the cornrows with their mule Jumper, and feels confident he can handle things while Papa is gone.

A "yeller" dog shows up the morning after Papa leaves and steals meat Travis has hanging up. When Little Arliss sees the dog he claims it as his and Mama lets Little Arliss keep him. Travis is mad and Mama argues that Little Arliss needs a dog to play with and says Travis had one when he was little. She tells Travis to think about it and sends him out to shoot a doe.

Travis is still angry but he enjoys hunting. He heads to the Salt Licks where all the animals go to lick the salt out from the rocks. He sees some of the range cattle and watches two squirrels play. After laughing out loud at the squirrels' antics he realizes he has scared a doe that is only a few feet away. Travis has to shoot her on the run and worries he will not make a killing shot. He does, however, making him even more confident in his ability to take care of things like a man.

Travis catches Little Arliss and Old Yeller playing in the drinking water. When Travis throws rocks at Old Yeller, Little Arliss comes back and throws rocks at him. Mama breaks up the fight and both boys get disciplined. Travis tries to bait Old Yeller into stealing more meat by hanging up the doe meat, but Old Yeller does not touch it.

Two range bulls, Roany and Chongo, come and fight in the yard. Old Yeller tries to scare them away at first but Travis throws rocks at him again because Travis wants to see the fight. Travis does not see the danger the family is in until the bulls crash into the fence they are sitting on. Mama pulls Travis out from under the fighting bulls and they all run to the cabin. Travis tries to get Old Yeller to chase the bulls now but Old Yeller just runs away. Travis takes a whip out to try and chase the bulls away but they are not paying attention. Finally Chongo flips Roany into a two-wheeled cart and the cart rolls down the hill into the creek. Roany is dumped out into the water and he runs off into the woods. Chongo runs away as well after he gets his tongue scraped on the spinning cart's wheel.

Travis is splitting rails to fix the yard fence when he hears Little Arliss scream. Something in Little Arliss's voice sends him running as fast as he can to the creek where Little Arliss is holding on to the hind leg of a bear cub. The cub's mother is charging Little Arliss from across the creek. Travis sees that neither he nor Mama, who also heard Little Arliss scream, is going to get to Little Arliss in time to pull him to safety. Suddenly Old Yeller comes out and attacks the mother bear. This gives Travis enough time to grab Little Arliss, and throw him to Mama. All three of them run to the house and Old Yeller almost beats Travis there. Once he sees the whole family is safe, he runs back to the house as well. Mama and Little Arliss are crying and they all pet Old Yeller all over.

Travis is so thankful to Old Yeller for saving Little Arliss that he starts treating him better. Travis realizes he loves his little brother so he takes Little Arliss and Old Yeller squirrel hunting the next day to show them how much he cares. He puts up with Little Arliss's pesky ways and they have a good time. Travis and Mama notice Old Yeller is not eating very much.

A neighbor, Bud Searcy, visits with his granddaughter, Lisbeth. He did not go on the cattle drive with the other men and Mama thinks he is shiftless. Searcy tells them about a possible case of hydrophobia and how his uncle got the disease. The uncle tied himself to a tree and slobbered and tried to bite his wife and kids until he died and they buried him under the same tree. Searcy also tells the family that something or someone is stealing from the settlement. Lisbeth pulls Travis aside and tells him it is Old Yeller. She says she will not tell anyone since Old Yeller is the father to her dog's puppies. Searcy and Lisbeth leave and Travis is worried someone might shoot Old Yeller if they catch him.

Travis tells Mama about Old Yeller stealing and they lock him in the bedroom with Travis and Little Arliss at night. Travis and Old Yeller chase the raccoons and skunks out of the corn patch. Travis daydreams about the horse Papa promised to bring back with him. Old Yeller helps Travis bring home the Spot heifer and make her stand to be milked.

A man named Burn Sanderson comes and claims Old Yeller. Travis is upset, but Mama says they have to give Old Yeller up. Sanderson offers to let them keep Old Yeller until Papa returns but Mama does not want them getting more attached. When Sanderson goes to leave with Old Yeller, Little Arliss gets mad and throws rocks at Sanderson and his horse. Sanderson laughs it off and offers a trade to Little Arliss. If Mama will cook him a meal, then he will let Little Arliss have Old Yeller. Little Arliss agrees. Before Sanderson leaves he warns Travis about the hydrophobic plague and tells him to shoot any animal that acts unnatural.

Travis forgets about the plague and he and Old Yeller head out to mark hogs. They must catch the pigs the sows had over the year and mark their ears with their specific mark claiming ownership, and then castrate the male ones. It is dangerous work but Travis feels confident with Old Yeller. They work out a system where Old Yeller brings the hogs to a tree where Travis ropes them from a limb and pulls the little pig up so he can mark him. Travis and Old Yeller mark all their pigs and believe to be done with the job when Bud Searcy tells them there is another bunch in bat country they have forgotten.

Travis and Old Yeller locate the missing hogs but cannot get them to a tree because they hole up under a dirt bank. Travis thinks he can rope them by lying on the bank, but the bank gives way and he lands in the middle of the angry hogs. He gets cut on his leg before he can run away and Old Yeller jumps into save him. Travis runs but then returns for Old Yeller who is cut up and hiding under a rock. Old Yeller has his belly slit open and is in pain. Travis wraps Old Yeller is his shirt and then places him under a rock with a mesquite stump in front of it. Travis limps home and after Mama doctors his trembling, bleeding leg he wants to return for Old Yeller. Mama says he cannot go at first but then she, Travis, Little Arliss, and Jumper return to bring Old Yeller home.

Travis and Mama think Old Yeller is dead at first because they see buzzards flying around, but then they hear him barking. Mama sends Little Arliss off to catch a green lizard while she sews up Old Yeller's belly with a strand of hair from Jumper's tail. Mama arranges Little Arliss and Old Yeller on a cow hide with pillows that they strap to Jumper. Travis rides Jumper and Mama leads him home. Travis is so thankful to return with Old Yeller, he does not mind the pain of his leg,

Old Yeller and Travis spend several weeks in bed recuperating. Mama has to do all the chores herself now. Bud Searcy comes to visit with Lisbeth. Lisbeth brings Travis a speckled pup from Miss Prissy's litter but he tells her to give it to Little Arliss and this hurts her feelings. Travis feels he already has a dog in Old Yeller. Little Arliss takes the pup and Searcy leaves Lisbeth to help Mama.

Travis and Mama do not believe Lisbeth will be much help, but she proves them wrong. She helps with all the chores without being told. Lisbeth, Mama, and Little Arliss gather the corn and Travis wishes he could go out there and help since it looks like they are having so much fun. Then the Spot heifer comes home stumbling and bawling one morning after missing her evening milking. Mama goes to let her in the pen with her calf and she tries to fight Mama. Mama and Travis are worried she might have hydrophobia but they decide to wait and see.

The roan bull then comes to the house acting worse. When Old Yeller rises from his place by Travis and growls, Travis knows that the bull is sick with hydrophobia. The bull stumbles towards the spring where Lisbeth and Little Arliss are, and then turns on Mama. He falls to the ground before he reaches her and Travis gets his gun and shoots the roan bull in the head.

Mama and Lisbeth burn the body of the roan bull so that the disease cannot be spread to the drinking water. They must head into the woods to get logs to burn and they pull them on Jumper. Travis follows the Spot heifer out from the house and when she is on bare ground where her burning carcass will not start a fire, he shoots her as well. Mama and Travis worry that all their cattle may become infected with hydrophobia. Mama and Lisbeth head out to burn the Spot heifer as well. Old Yeller goes with them at the last minute.

Travis is watching Little Arliss but worries when darkness falls and they are not home yet. He gets supper for Little Arliss and the speckled pup. Then he hears dogs fighting and Mama calling for him to get his gun and make a light. Travis makes a light with some bear grass and sits with his gun ready, when he sees Old Yeller fighting with something as big as he is. Mama calls that it is a mad loafer wolf. Travis does not want to shoot Old Yeller but then the wolf has him in a throat hold and Travis shoots the wolf.

Mama tells Travis how it took them a long time to burn the heifer. When they were returning they stopped at Birdsong Creek to get a drink and the wolf attacked them. Mama whacked the wolf on the head with a stick and then Old Yeller started fighting him. The two fought all the way home, Old Yeller keeping the wolf from getting them while they raced home on Jumper. Suddenly, Mama realizes that Old Yeller has been bitten by the wolf and could have hydrophobia. Travis insists they wait and see but Mama says they cannot take the risk. Travis knows this and he shoots Old Yeller in the head.

Travis is devastated by Old Yeller's death. He feels empty and hurt. The rain comes and washes away the hydrophobia plague and Papa returns home. He brings Travis a horse but Travis is not very excited about it. Mama tells Papa about Old Yeller. Papa goes and talks to Travis and tells him how proud his is of how he handled things. He calls him a man and tells him he has to focus on the good in life. Travis understands but it is not until the speckled pup steals cornbread and then plays in spring with Little Arliss that Travis starts to feel better. He then decides to see the good in life and makes up his mind to take the speckled pup and Little Arliss squirrel hunting the next day. Travis concludes by thinking if the speckled pup is old enough to act like Old Yeller, he might as well learn a few things and start earning his keep.