**Spoilers ahead. If you haven't read this book and don't want to know the ending, don't continue reading!**
I have been on a fun journey this year. I've decided to re-read my way through some of my childhood favorite books. So far, these have included: Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, The Little House on the Prairie series (all of them!), Island of the Blue Dolphins, Homecoming, and most recently Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.
I fondly remember this story. My grandaddy used to call me up and let me know when the movie was coming on TV (we didn't have a television until I was well into my teens.) We'd all head over to his house to watch the replay of the movie with him. He was a huge animal lover, especially dogs. Before I was born, my grandaddy owned a pet store in Fort Collins, CO. And throughout the rest of his life, he raised angel fish. They had something on the order of 27 fish tanks in their small house!
So, this book has special meaning to me beyond just the wonderful story. I hadn't read the book in probably about 20 years, so going back was quite the journey. It was an old, familiar friend. The love that Billy has for his little dogs is the best example of human-animal bond I've ever read, honestly. This kid back in the Ozark mountains saved for TWO years to be able to buy his hound dogs so he could hunt coons with them. (Can you imagine any kid these days working so hard toward something they wanted? I know I never did, that's for sure!)
Old Dan and Little Ann are his loyal companions, and they are completely attached to one another. One won't eat until the other is fed. Through all of their hunting adventures, they are a team. The bonds between boy and dog are amazing. I was so moved by the relationship that Billy had with his dogs. Reading this story again with a different perspective than I had as a kid was a great experience.
Back when I watched this movie with grandaddy and read this book, I had never lost a pet. I hadn't experienced the grief of pet loss yet. My childhood dog, Beau-Beau, died when I was about 13. Since then, I've lost a number of my own pets, but I've also experienced the euthanasia process and pet loss with so many other people because of the work I've done over the last 10 years. Thinking about the loss that Billy experienced in losing Old Dan to a horrendous wound, and then losing his Little Ann too because she wouldn't live without Old Dan, was so very sad. This young kid had worked so hard for these dogs, and then loved and trained them tirelessly, and then had a catastrophic loss. But he gained so much by having them.
I think the lesson from this book for me is this. Having pets is a wonderful experience, and losing pets is a horrible and sad experience, but the joy you get from having pets as a part of your life far outweighs the loss. Billy says in the story, "You were worth it, old friend, and a thousand times over." And I fully believe that is true!
Do you have a pet related book that you remember fondly from your childhood? Have you ever gone back to re-read the story as an adult? (Image is from the movie Where the Red Fern Grows)
--Tammy
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