Nobody likes to see an animal, especially a pet, die in a movie.  If you do, well, I will pray for you.  Of course, there are caveats.  If they are radiated zombie dogs, like in Resident Evil (2002), we tend to be a little more understanding.  In other words, if they become some kind of nightmarish monster that threatens our own lives, then we do not mind the killing of an otherwise furry friend.  If by all appearances a cat or dog, or some other domesticated beast, is normal, we find their passing abhorrent.  The Catholic Church has had the protection of their lives, and all life, as a part of its teaching for centuries.  Cinematically speaking, the film that probably firmly fixed these ideas in our American cultural conscience was Old Yeller (1957).  It is your typical Disney fare, especially for the 1950s, but there is one scene that stands out for viewers, making it one of the most memorable pieces of cinema, if not to the younger generations.  It is a bit silly to me, but you can read on and decide for yourself.

We see Old Yeller (Spike) chasing a rabbit through the opening credits, as the background song proclaims him to be the best dog in the West.  This bit of that fabled piece of Americana is Texas in the years following the Civil War.  A clue to this period is how Travis Coates (Tommy Kirk) is explaining money to his younger brother, Arliss Coates (Kevin Corcoran), saying that the only dollar the elder sibling had seen was a Confederate one.  I guess dad, Jim Coates (Fess Parker), had served the South, but it is never explicitly said.  At any rate, Jim is preparing to leave the family spread to take part in a cattle drive north, and he is talking to Travis about the responsibilities of running the farm.  What Travis wants is a new horse, seeing it as a sign of his passage into manhood.  As part of a reward for doing a good job while father is away, Jim promises Travis to bring back to his oldest a steed.  It does not take long for Travis to be tested.  As he is out plowing their corn patch (which is already growing, so why?), along comes Old Yeller, still going after a hare, which spooks the mule towing the implement.  It bolts, dragging Travis and ruining several lengths of their fence.  Travis is indignant, yelling at the dog to frighten it away.  Yet, the next day Old Yeller is at their door.  Luckily, Arliss is the first to spot the pooch, and he instantly proclaims him the new family pet.  As soon as Travis lays eyes on Old Yeller, he picks up rocks to drive the canine off, which sparks a fight between the brothers.  Katie Coates (Dorothy McGuire), their mother, intervenes, siding with Arliss and allowing Old Yeller to stay.  Travis vows to not let the animal get too comfortable, but a series of heroics on Old Yeller’s part proves the dog’s worth.  Of course, as soon as the bond forms between Old Yeller and Travis, challenges threaten to undo the good will established.  The first comes when their lazy neighbor, Bud Searcy (Jeff York), stops at the Coates home.  He claims he had been nominated to look after the families of the men traveling with the livestock, but it quickly becomes apparent that he is there to take advantage of hospitality.  During his visit, his daughter, Lisbeth Searcy (Beverly Washburn), informs Travis that Old Yeller had been stealing eggs from other people’s chicken coops.  If Bud finds out that Old Yeller is with the Coates, he is apt to shoot the dog, though she promises secrecy.  Things go along fine again until a late-to-start cow wrangler, Burn Sanderson (Chuck Connors), passes by the Coates lot, looking for a golden mutt matching Old Yeller’s description.  Travis is reluctant to give up his beloved pet, despite Katie’s insistence, and Arliss flatly refuses.  Burn defuses the situation by offering a trade: the horny toad Arliss has in his pocket and a home cooked meal in exchange for Old Yeller.  Arliss happily agrees.  When Travis walks out with Burn after the meal, the ranch hand reveals that there have been reports of hydrophobia among domestic and wild animals in the area.  This is rabies, kids, in case you are not up on the old-fashioned parlance.  The first threat of this comes when Travis heads out with Old Yeller to mark a herd of nearby hogs.  While doing so, the teenager falls into the midst of the feral pigs and is attacked, resulting in a gashed leg.  Old Yeller springs to the boy’s aid, but is severely injured.  Fortunately, neither he or the pet contract the potentially fatal disease.  To cheer up the worried Travis, on her next visit Lisbeth brings a new puppy, which Old Yeller fathered, but Travis remains devoted to his dog.  It is not long after he is up and moving again that one night Katie (and Lisbeth, who is seemingly and inexplicably left with the Coates) is attacked by a wolf.  Once more, it is Old Yeller to the rescue.  This altercation has Katie worried, though, since wolves do not normally strike in this manner.  Travis fervently hopes the worst has not come to Old Yeller, and he reluctantly agrees to quarantine the dog.  For the first couple of weeks, the canine behaves normally.  Yet, he is soon snarling and showing signs of rabies.  The Coates might have let Old Yeller pass naturally, but they do not tell Arliss what is happening.  The boy thus attempts to let the rabid dog out, forcing Travis to act.  By act, I mean Travis puts Old Yeller down, which is emotionally trying for him.  Shortly thereafter, Jim returns from his trek with a horse in tow, handing it over to his son and having a talk about how tough life can be as the film comes to an end.

If you did not predict Old Yeller’s death, then I will share with you other clues as to this outcome not mentioned in my synopsis.  For example, there is the conversation between Arliss and Travis when the younger sibling asks the older one if cows go to Heaven.  This comes after one of their heifers has to be euthanized because of hydrophobia.  I hesitated to use the word for “humanely” killing a living being, usually pertaining to a pet.  As I mentioned in the introduction, the Church believes in the sanctity of all life, including animals.  Some have quibbled that Catholics are hypocritical on this point because many of them consume meat.  Yet, there is a difference, if you care to acknowledge it.  Livestock is raised for the purpose of human consumption.  They are not slaughtered for pleasure or for the sake of torture.  Indeed, I would argue that their death is the definition of “humane.”  Still, if you wish to further argue the point, I would counter with members of many religious orders, female and male, who have a strict vegetarian diet.  Occasionally, some will consume meat, but for the most part, their abstention is part of their vow of poverty.  The point I am trying to make here is that being against Travis killing Old Yeller at the end is in keeping with Church doctrine, even if I, or any other Catholic, enjoy a steak.  While this is a personal take, there is also the wrongness cutting short a life that could make a recovery.  God has done some miraculous things, for creatures great and small, because we are all precious to Him.  If He calls a soul to Him, no matter the circumstances, then there is wisdom in it even if it is beyond us.  Of course, we are slipping into dangerous territory here because it brings us back to Arliss’ question.  The Church says that animals do not have an eternal soul.  However, that does not preclude them rising from the dead at the second coming.  Thus, there may yet be hope for Old Yeller.

There are some that do not like the fact that I spoil movies in my reviews, and Old Yeller has been no exception in this regard.  I do not feel so bad about this one, though, because I know there are some, as I said at the beginning, who do not like to see the featured pet die.  As such, consider yourself warned.  Otherwise, it is a hokey classic that can be easily skipped.