strained and roared. Their horns and hoofs clattered against the logs.

I turned and headed for the door. Looked to me like they’d kill us all if they ever broke through those log walls.

Travis especially tries to be the man of the house when it concerns his younger brother, Arliss.  Travis frequently attempts to boss Arliss around, and Arliss consistently defies his older brother's wishes.  

Old Yeller, in a lot of ways, is similar to Travis.  That is probably why the two characters are able to form such a deep bond.  Like Travis, Old Yeller is an invaluable member of the family.  For example, it is Old Yeller that instinctively knows how to catch Spot, bring her home, and make her behave.  Like Travis, Old Yeller also isn't afraid of a fight. For example, it is Old Yeller that comes roaring in "like a mad bull" to protect Arliss from an angry mother bear.  

Then, just as the bear went lunging up the creek bank toward Little Arliss and her cub, a flash of yellow came streaking out of the brush.

It was that big yeller dog. He was roaring like a mad bull. He wasn’t one-third as big and heavy as the she bear, but when he piled into her from one side, he rolled her clear off her feet. They went down in a wild, roaring tangle of twisting bodies and scrambling feet and slashing fangs.

Arliss is five years old, and a typical little brother.  He loves Travis and looks up to his older brother; however, that doesn't mean Arliss doesn't enjoy "bugging" his elder either. Arliss is also a wonderful combination of mischievous and hilarious.  One of my favorite parts of the book occurs when he is found playing naked in the family's drinking water.  

Arliss saw then that I meant business. He came lunging up out of the pool, knocking water all over his clothes lying on the bank. He lit out for the house, running naked and screaming bloody murder. To listen to him, you’d have thought the Comanches were lifting his scalp.

In fact, Arliss runs around naked quite a few times in the novel.  He's definitely not shy about his body. 

Old Yeller was published in 1956 and has been a children’s classic ever since. Set in the 1860s, the book focuses on the Coates—a small ranching family in Texas whose patriarch has gone off to work with the other men herding cattle.

The Coates family consists of Travis, an adolescent boy charged with taking care of the family in his father’s absence, his younger brother, Arliss, and their mother, who is called Mama throughout the story. Old Yeller is a dog who wanders onto the farm one day and, in spite of the family’s hesitance to keep him, proves himself to be a valuable addition to the farm by saving each member from the dangers of the under-settled region.

Other characters include Burn Sanderson, the former owner of Old Yeller who comes looking for him but upon realizing his bond with the family, agrees to trade him for a home-cooked meal and a toad.

Bud Searcy is a neighbor who claims to stay behind to help the women while their husbands are away at cattle runs but actually does very little work, chews tobacco all day, and asks the women to prepare food for him. His daughter, Lisabeth, is a more sympathetic character. She is a bright girl around Travis’s age, and her dog Miss. Priss eventually becomes pregnant with Old Yeller’s puppies.

Travis, the story's protagonist, is a confident and helpful boy. He eagerly takes on responsibilities on the ranch and wants little more than to prove himself as a man. However, he can be rather stubborn, as we see when he dismisses the danger of the rabies outbreak.

Old Yeller may be a dog, but he still has several notable character traits. He is courageous, as we see when he defends Little Arliss from the bear. He is clever, as shown by how he tricks the hogs. Old Yeller also has a mischievous side, which we see when he steals the meat from the storehouse.

Mama is a true woman of the frontier. She possesses a strong fortitude for survival that she employs to manage the house and fend off the forces of nature that threaten the family. She is also kind and empathetic, meeting her sons where they are as they mature and patiently explaining difficult ideas to them.

Little Arliss, Travis's five-year-old brother, is a rambunctious boy. He is full of energy and constantly getting himself into interesting, sometimes dangerous situations. He is also curious, wanting to explore the world around him and learn from nature. This makes him somewhat reckless, as he often has little concern for his own safety.

Lisbeth Searcy is a kind girl who doesn't want harm to come to anyone. She is also very generous and hardworking, which we see when she helps out around the ranch after Travis is hurt.

Bud Searcy is a man of contrasts. He can come off as lazy because he looks for many excuses to avoid work. He also is a nosy gossip who loves poking into other people's business. However, he is caring, as is evidenced by the concern he takes in Travis's family while Papa is gone.