Papa leaves Travis in charge of the homestead while he joins the Salt Licks menfolk on a cattle drive to Abilene.

A stray yellow dog steals the family's bacon, and Little Arliss immediately claims the dog as his own pet.

Old Yeller charges a mama bear at the spring, saving Little Arliss from being mauled while the cub is held.

Lisbeth privately tells Travis that Old Yeller is the thief stealing food from families across the Salt Licks settlement.

A cattleman named Burn Sanderson arrives at the homestead to reclaim Old Yeller as his valuable cattle dog.

Sanderson agrees to trade Old Yeller to the Coates family in exchange for a home-cooked meal before leaving.

Sanderson privately warns Travis to shoot any animal that acts unnatural and to keep hydrophobia away from the family.

Travis and Old Yeller work together as a seamless team to successfully mark and castrate a group of wild hogs.

A riverbank collapses while Travis marks hogs in bat cave country, dropping him into a pack of vicious hogs.

Mama sews Old Yeller's severe wounds and the family hauls him home from the field on a cowhide travois.

A hydrophobia-infected roan bull charges Mama near the creek where the children are playing, and Travis shoots it dead.

Travis trails the infected heifer Spot far from the cabin and shoots her to stop the disease from spreading.

Old Yeller locks in a deadly fight with a rabid wolf that attacked Mama and Lisbeth on their way home.

Mama explains the wolf's bite has almost certainly given Old Yeller hydrophobia, and Travis shoots his dog to protect the family.

Papa returns home and tells Travis he is proud of the way Travis handled Old Yeller's death like a grown man.

Papa leaves Travis in charge of the family homestead while he joins the other Salt Licks menfolk on a months-long cattle drive to Abilene. A stray yellow dog disrupts the household before proving his worth by saving Little Arliss from a deadly bear attack, earning Travis's reluctant respect. When cattleman Burn Sanderson arrives to reclaim Old Yeller, a deal is struck that lets the dog stay, though Sanderson leaves Travis with a grave warning about hydrophobia spreading through the settlement. Travis and Old Yeller tackle increasingly dangerous work together until a collapsing riverbank lands Travis in a pack of wild hogs, leaving both boy and dog badly wounded. As the hydrophobia plague reaches the homestead, Travis is forced to shoot infected animals one by one, and ultimately Old Yeller himself after the dog saves Mama and Lisbeth from a rabid wolf. Papa's return and a word of pride help Travis begin the painful process of healing.

The headline events that drive Old Yeller's story from beginning to end.

Travis asserts his new authority over Little Arliss and the stubborn family mule, Jumper, before Papa has left the property.

Travis shoots a doe at the Salt Licks and is relieved and proud when she drops dead on the run.

Two fighting longhorn bulls crash through the fence and slam against the cabin walls, nearly leveling the Coates homestead.

Old Yeller runs away from Travis during the bull fight, believing Travis means to hurt him with the bullwhip.

Travis and Old Yeller spend weeks sleeping in the cornfield together to protect the ripening crop from varmints at night.

Old Yeller grabs the wild heifer Spot by the nose and flips her over, letting Travis easily drive her home.

Little Arliss hurls rocks at Burn Sanderson to stop the cattleman from leading Old Yeller away from the homestead.

Travis discovers he missed a group of hogs ranging far into bat cave country and rides out to mark them.

Travis bandages Old Yeller's wounds in the field and locks the injured dog in a rocky hollow, promising to return.

Travis defies Mama's instructions to rest and insists on harnessing Jumper to go back and rescue Old Yeller.

Travis runs a high fever for days while recovering alongside Old Yeller, and Mama nurses them both tirelessly.

Bud Searcy insists Lisbeth stay at the Coates homestead to help Mama while Travis and Old Yeller recover.

Lisbeth offers Travis the best of Old Yeller's pups, but Travis dismisses the gift and hurts Lisbeth's feelings.

The burning bull carcass draws wolves to the homestead, and a recovering Old Yeller limps back and forth to keep them away.

Travis sees the speckled pup stealing cornbread just like Old Yeller used to and decides to teach the pup Old Yeller's ways.

Travis's summer with Old Yeller is filled with smaller battles that reveal his growing maturity and the constant demands of frontier life. From a solo deer hunt at the Salt Licks to battling rampaging bulls that nearly destroy the cabin, Travis faces tests before Old Yeller has even fully won his trust. The two form a working partnership protecting crops, wrangling difficult livestock, and pursuing missed hogs deep into bat cave country. When Travis is badly hurt saving Old Yeller, Lisbeth moves in to help Mama and offers the family new hope in the form of a speckled pup. The hydrophobia plague brings further danger, as burning a bull carcass draws wolves that only a recovering Old Yeller can hold at bay. By the end, the sight of the young pup mimicking Old Yeller's mischief gives Travis the first sign that life is capable of going on.

The supporting scenes and daily struggles that shape Travis's summer with Old Yeller.

Travis decides he does not want another dog after losing his beloved Bell to a rattlesnake bite the previous summer.

Travis hangs fresh venison where Old Yeller can reach it, hoping the dog will steal it and be thrown out.

Little Arliss grabs a stick and clubs Travis to defend Old Yeller after Travis tries to kick the stray dog away.

Travis admits to himself that Old Yeller saved Little Arliss from the bear and begins to change his feelings about the dog.

Travis nearly cries with relief when Burn Sanderson's deal allows the Coates family to keep Old Yeller after all.

Bud Searcy visits the homestead and tells frightening stories about local people who were bitten and killed by rabid animals.

Travis discovers that letting Old Yeller sleep inside with the boys is the only way to stop the dog's nightly food raids.

Travis confidently tells Burn Sanderson he can handle the hydrophobia threat, earning the cattleman's approval before Sanderson rides away.

A wild hog slashes Travis to the bone in the leg when he falls into the pack during the bat cave trip.

Travis privately admits that the hydrophobia plague frightens him more than any animal has and wishes Papa were home to help.

Mama and Travis see the heifer Spot return home acting strange and disoriented, and they begin to fear she has hydrophobia.

Mama decides the dead bull's carcass must be burned right where it fell to stop hydrophobia from spreading to other animals.

Mama sorrowfully explains that since the rabid wolf bit Old Yeller, the dog is most likely infected with hydrophobia.

Travis refuses Mama's offer to shoot Old Yeller for him and takes the full responsibility of the act onto himself.

Papa tells Travis that life has cruel and unfair parts but warns him not to let the bad overwhelm the good.

Travis's path to maturity is shaped less by action than by the moments of realization and choice that change him from the inside. His resistance to Old Yeller crumbles through a series of revelations about the dog's cleverness, loyalty, and capacity for sacrifice, forcing Travis to confront his own limits and the depth of his love for his family. Burn Sanderson's visit compels Travis to assert himself as a man capable of handling the hydrophobia threat, even as fear quietly takes root. As the plague closes in, Travis faces emotional turning points that Papa never warned him about: dread he cannot fight with a gun, grief he cannot outrun, and a decision no boy should have to make. Shooting Old Yeller marks the true end of Travis's childhood, a moment Mama offers to spare him but Travis refuses to avoid. Papa's life wisdom on returning home gives Travis the final tool he needs to carry both the loss and the good that came before it.

The key decisions and emotional breakthroughs that mark Travis's journey to adulthood.