List of Where the Red Fern Grows characters
The following is a list of characters from the novel Where the Red Fern Grows.
Colman Family
Billy
Billy is a 10-year-old boy who lives in the Ozark mountains of Oklahoma and is blessed with puppy love. He wants a pair of coonhound puppies so much he gets sick from hunger and sleep deprivation. He is determined to get them so he works and saves up all of his money. It takes him two years to do so, and by the time he has enough, he's 12. He then walks day and night to pick up the puppies at the freight depot in Tahlequah. He loves his family and his dogs very much. He has a strong bond between them and would do anything for them. Soon, he is determined to win a coon hunting competition and get the gold cup. He has a strong heart and loves his dogs. At the end of the story, he is heartbroken when his dogs Little Ann and Old Dan die. He later is reminded of his childhood when he takes care of a stray dog he lets go with a name tag with the name, "Buddie".
Mama
Mama is Billy's mother. Similarly to Papa, she also will do just about anything to see Billy happy. Although his constant begging for the dogs starts to annoy her, she is heartbroken over his grief. When he finally gets them and starts hunting, she is constantly worried, and is scared for his safety. She is always thinking of what he loves which is hunting. She was always wanting to move to a town instead of living in the mountains. She is very protective with Billy and his sisters.
Papa
Papa is Billy's father. He knew getting two puppies for $50 was out of the question. When Billy is upset over not getting them, he buys him three steel traps to make him feel better (but he ends up catching Samie, the family cat, with them). He teaches him how to use them. He is very proud of Billy's determination and commitment to his dogs and hunting raccoons and of his development into a young man. He is the one who always calms Mama's fears about Billy's safety.
Grandpa
Grandpa is Billy's grandfather. He owns a country general store that is well known in the Ozarks. When Billy finally saves $50, he helps him to get the dogs. He is astonished to the point of tears; he is so proud of Billy's hard work and dedication. He frequently helps him out, such as when they made the scarecrow in front of the big sycamore tree to keep the raccoon from escaping. Billy greatly respects and appreciates his advice and help. Grandpa goes with Billy and his father to the championship coonhunt. During the hunt he trips over a stick and sprains his ankle very badly.
Billy's sisters
Billy has three sisters who are in love with the dogs, mostly Little Ann, and all three of the sisters have blue eyes and blond hair. None of their names are ever given in the book.
The Pritchards
Rubin Pritchard
Rubin Pritchard is the older brother of Rainie Pritchard. He has a very bad reputation; he is known for stealing, fighting, and causing trouble with Rainie. Rubin is two years older than Billy. He is a big boy with mean eyes. He bets Billy two dollars that Old Dan and Little Ann can't tree the ghost coon, one the Pritchards have attempted to catch many times and seems to always trick their dog, Old Blue. The later shows up and Little Ann and Old Dan start attacking him up to make sure he does not try to steal their raccoon. In an attempt to save him Rubin runs at them with an axe. At first, Billy can't see what happened, but then he sees that he tripped and the axe plummeted into his stomach, killing him. After he is lying on the ground, Billy takes it out of him and is distraught at his death. Billy then runs back home and tells his parents immediately about the bad news. Rubin's family is very upset when they hear about the death of their son but does not show it when Billy's father goes to tell them.
Rainie Pritchard
Rainie Pritchard is the younger brother of Rubin Pritchard. He is about Billy's age and known for causing trouble wherever he goes. He is a nervous boy, and is not liked by anyone. Billy says that he has the meanest disposition out of any boy he has ever known. He always wanted to make bets with other people. When his brother Rubin dies, he goes into a state of shock and their father tells Billy's that he will have to be brought to a doctor in town. Mama says he can't help being the way he is.
The Marshal of Tahlequah
The Marshal of Tahlequah is a minor character who rescues Billy after he gets in a fight with a group of rude children in the town of Tahlequah and buys strawberry soda pop for Billy after saving him. In the movie, he also collects the prize money for the winner.
Old Man Hatfield
Old Man Hatfield is a neighbor of Billy's. His dog is having collie puppies. Billy's parents offer to get one of them. Billy refuses because he only wants Redbone Coonhounds.
Coon Hunters
Mr. Kyle
Mr. Kyle is one of the hunters in the championship coonhunt, and he also enters one of his Treeing Walker Coonhounds in the beauty contest. The dog wins second place to Little Ann.
Mr. Benson
Mr. Benson is one of the hunters in the championship coonhunt. He finds Little Ann and Old Dan after they tree a coon in a blizzard. Mr. Benson inadvertently causes Billy to faint because he runs into camp screaming that the dogs were frozen solid.
Dr. Lathman
Dr. Lathman is one of the hunters in the coonhunting competition, who owns a pair of Black and Tan Coonhounds. He treats Grandpa's sprained ankle back at the campground. After the contest, he takes him to the hospital.
The Animals
Old Dan
Old Dan is the bigger of Billy's two Redbone Coonhounds. Old Dan is a stout, brave dog, who almost always kills the coons he and Little Ann hunt. Old Dan is an eager hunter, but he has many strange quirks. He won't hunt with any hunter other than Billy, or any dog other than Little Ann, and he refuses to even hunt with Billy when Ann isn't along.
Little Ann
Little Ann is the smaller of Billy's two Redbone Coonhounds. Little Ann is much smarter than Old Dan and she is the one who trees the ghost coon that had eluded so many dogs. She is unusually playful for a hound and was unable to have puppies due to being the runt in a big litter. Little Ann is much sweeter than Dan and is more like a pet than a hunting dog.
Old Blue
Old Blue is a big, scruffy Bluetick Coonhound who belongs to the Pritchard boys. The ghost coon has fooled Old Blue many times. Little Ann and Old Dan maul Old Blue when he gets loose during the ghost coon hunt.
Buddie
Buddie is a stray Redbone Coonhound Billy finds near his adult home in Idaho and rescues from a mauling by a pack of town dogs. Buddie sends Billy on a long flashback to his youth and the pair of Redbones he owned and hunted then.
Samie
Samie was the house cat, who Billy inadvertently trapped many times.
The Ghost Coon
The ghost coon is a coon that eluded the Pritchards and Old Blue many times. It is finally treed by Old Dan and Little Ann.
Mountain Lion
The mountain lion first appears when Billy is bringing the puppies home from Tahlequah, when it comes to the front of the cave and screams. Several years later, it kills Old Dan on what becomes Billy's final coonhunt.
Old Red
In the book, there was a male chicken who woke Billy up.