Old Yeller

In 1860s post-U.S. Civil War Texas, Jim Coates leaves home to work on a cattle drive, leaving behind his wife Katie, older son Travis and younger son Arliss.

While Jim is away, Travis sets off to work in the cornfield, where he encounters a dog named "Old Yeller", a golden retiever mix. He was called that because "yeller" is a dialect pronunciation of yellow and the fact that his bark sounds more like a human yell. Travis unsuccessfully tries to drive the dog away, but Arliss likes him and defends him to Travis. However, the dog's habit of stealing meat from smokehouses and robbing hens' nests does not endear him to Travis. Read more on Wikipedia.