Old Yeller

Published in 1956, Old Yeller is a classic historical fiction novel about the bond between a boy and his dog. With his Papa away on a cattle drive, 14-year-old Travis Coates gets help from a brave stray dog. Together, they defend the homestead and protect Travis’s mother and little brother. When a plague of hydrophobia threatens the family, Travis makes the difficult decision to kill Old Yeller. The novel poignantly explores themes of family and friendship, as well as the joys and sorrows of becoming an adult. Fred Gipson based Old Yeller on “memorable tales of frontier dogs” related to him by his parents, Beck and Emma Gipson. Old Yeller won a Newbery Honor award in 1957 and was adapted for film by Walt Disney Studios the same year. The novel is an enduring classic and remains a much-loved children’s story. Pagination in this study guide refers to the 1956 Harper & Row edition, which features original black and white illustrations by Carl Burger.

Plot Summary

In the late 1860s, Travis lives with his Mama, Papa, and five-year-old brother Little Arliss in a cabin in the Texas Hill County. Mama and Papa built their homestead from scratch and the family works hard to have a good life. Everything they need depends on the land: from game to crops to livestock. Papa and the men of the Salt Licks settlement leave the women and children behind to sell their cattle for cash money. The trip will take months, and Papa leaves Travis in charge. Papa wishes Travis had a good dog to help him out, but Travis has no desire for a dog after the death of his beloved dog the previous summer. Travis is excited to prove he can take care of things as well as Papa.

When a stray, one-eared, stub-tailed yellow, or “yeller,” dog steals their bacon one morning, Travis is irate. To Travis’s disgust, Little Arliss immediately claims the dog, and Mama approves, knowing Arliss needs a friend. Travis thinks Yeller is a worthless thief, but his attempts to get rid of the dog fail. Travis changes his mind about Old Yeller completely when the dog saves Little Arliss from a bear attack.

Travis and Old Yeller become inseparable. They work together to protect the corn crop, drive their heifer back to the homestead, and hunt game. When their neighbors Bud Searcy and Lisbeth, his quiet, pretty granddaughter, come to visit, Travis learns that Old Yeller has been stealing food from folks in the settlement. Because Lisbeth cares about Travis and Yeller, she promises not to tell. Travis puts an end to Yeller’s nighttime raids.

Searcy cautions the Coates family about a plague of hydrophobia making the rounds of the Salt Licks settlement, but Travis does not think much about it until a cattleman named Burn Sanderson arrives to claim Yeller. Little Arliss pitches such a fit that the kindly Sanderson allows him to keep Yeller. Sanderson soberly warns Travis not to let anything with hydrophobia get near him or his family.

Travis and Old Yeller tackle the dangerous task of marking and castrating young wild hogs: Yeller circling them while Travis ropes them from above. Travis falls amongst the vicious hogs and is badly hurt. Yeller saves Travis’s life, but is severely injured. Travis fetches Mama to help sew up Yeller’s wounds, and they return home safely, but Travis and Yeller’s wounds sideline them for weeks. Lisbeth comes to help Mama with the chores. Lisbeth brings Travis a speckled puppy—the son of Old Yeller and her dog—but Travis only cares about Old Yeller.

A dry spell brings the hydrophobia close to home. The heifer, Spot. catches the illness, as does an aggressive range bull. Travis shoots the bull, and the Coates burn the body so other animals do not get sick. The scent of the burning bull attracts wolves and other predators. Yeller, still recovering, keeps them at bay. Travis trails and shoots Spot, but the effort is too much for his leg, and Mama, Lisbeth, and Yeller must go to burn Spot’s body.

They are gone a long time, and Travis prepares to search for them when he hears Mama shouting and the sounds of a dogfight. Travis sees Old Yeller locked in a deadly battle with a mad wolf. Travis shoots the wolf. He realizes that Yeller saved Mama and Lisbeth’s lives. Mama sorrowfully explains that since the wolf bit Yeller, he is probably infected. Travis wants to give Yeller a chance, but Mama knows the risk is too great. Travis understands. He shoots Old Yeller.

Neither Mama nor Lisbeth can draw Travis out of his sadness. Papa returns home and tells Travis he is proud of the way Travis handled the hard situation. Papa explains that life can be unfair, but one cannot let the bad parts overwhelm the good parts. Travis understands, but it is not until he sees the speckled pup stealing a piece of cornbread just like thieving Old Yeller, that he begins to heal emotionally. Travis decides to teach the pup how to be as loyal, brave, useful as Old Yeller.