Mature, never gives up, fearless, hardworking, rude, strong, responsible,
He's angry at him because Bud Searcy is always bothering folks, and on the day Bud Searcy came over after Travis got scratched by the hogs, Travis knew he'd be a bother to his Mama, because even though he talked about helping the women and children in Salt Licks while the men were gone, he'd never offer to chop wood or gather in a corn crop. And all he'd do was sit under the dog run all day, chewing tobacco and spitting juice all over the place, and, he'd expect Travis's Mama to cook him a good supper if he stayed that long. His Mama had ten times too much to do.
he died a terrible ol' death of the yeller spotted fever and never was ever spotted again.
I would assume a male. The name refers to the color and is non-gender oriented. On the other hand if it was Blondie, it would be a female.
Bud Searcy is the person who "takes care" (all he really wants is a meal) of the women and children while the men are away on the cattle drives.
In Chapter 10 of 'Old Yeller,' Travis' adventure that takes him and Old Yeller to the bat cave ends badly. He falls and is injured, necessitating him cutting the adventure short, so he can return home and allow Ma to 'fix him.'
Travis
Little Arliss
Old Yeller
Jumper
Bell
Bud Searcy
Spot
Lisbeth Searcy
Burn Sanderson
Missy Prissy
Mama
Papa (aka Mr. Coates)
Fred Gibson was inspired to write old yeller when he, as a young boy, had a dog who was killed after a deadly wolf attack. The dog's name was Jack and he jumped in front of his master to protect him and his family.
According to the book, Old Yeller somehow grabs the heifer by the nose and hangs on until she flips onto the ground.
Pg. 117 "A searing pain shot into my body"
The only major difference between the book and the film is that in the book, Mrs. Coates convinces Travis to shoot Old Yeller shortly after the dog fights the wolf and is exposed to rabies (during the incubation period), whereas in the film, Travis insists on waiting until Old Yeller develops symptoms before killing him. In the book Travis and Yeller had not fully recovered from the wounds they received from the hogs. Mrs. Coates and Bud Searcy's daughter Lisbeth had gone to burn the cow carcass and return being chased by the rabid wolf which is kept at bay by Yeller. Travis shoots the wolf as it is about to kill Yeller but in a cruel twist of fate is then forced to kill Yeller because he has been exposed to rabies will eventually become a deadly threat to the family. There is also the minor difference in that Old Yeller is bob-tailed in the book. Whereas, in the movie, he has a long tail that arches over his back (similar to the tails of Arctic sled dogs). Another major difference is that Old Yeller appears as a Lab/Mastiff mix, while in the book he is implied to be a Black Mouth Cur.