#82

Old Yeller

TV or Movie: Old Yeller (1957)

Actor: Spike

Time of Death: December 25, 1957

Cause of Death: Gunshot after contracting rabies

One of those iconic deaths that scarred a generation, the ending of the movie Old Yeller is one of the earliest examples of Disney pulling at the heartstrings of its viewers. Old Yeller was a dog who wound up contracting rabies after fighting off a infected wolf. He did it to protect his family. The boy Travis, who was Old Yeller’s owner, had to shoot the dog.