Heartstrings Part 7

November 23, 2025

Heartstrings Part 7

I first became aware of my heartstrings when I saw the film Old Yeller. 

It was about a wonderful dog that grew in my heart as I watched the movie. The boy reminded me of myself and my dog, Sparkle. Oh, the hikes in the woods, the walks in the neighborhood and catching sand crabs on the beach! Travis was the boy in Old Yeller. He, too, considered his dog his friend and companion.

But in the end, Old Yeller had to be shot by Travis. The loyal dog had a fight with a rabid wolf, so he was at risk of developing rabies himself. To protect the family from a potentially rabid and dangerous dog, Travis had to do away with the little being he loved the most. 

I saw this heart-wrenching movie at the Downtown Theater in Mobile in 1958. I was only eight, but I identified with Travis, played by child actor, Tommy Kirk. So, when I experienced Old Yeller, it was as if my own dog was in peril.

Though I was a little guy, I will never forget the sobs from the audience after the scene when Travis did the hardest thing he ever did in his life and pulled the trigger. It was the first time I learned that a movie could do that to me and to an entire group of people. But it was not just a movie. It was a movie that put people in touch with their souls.

Though I did not know it then, the movie portrayed the same type of love I had for my dog. Such a loss would be unbearable for me. In the movie theater, it was as if everything was real, like everyone experienced the same loss right before our eyes. Every aisle and seat was brimming with emotion— with grief. The lump in my throat turned into flowing tears. I could hardly believe such a loved dog had to be killed. My heartstrings were being pulled.

After the movie, the audience made their way to their cars in the parking lot, but nobody got directly into their vehicles. In fact, small groups stood around talking to each other. It was as if they did not want to leave; they wanted to talk to someone about what they had just experienced. They were soothing the pain of having their heartstrings pulled.

But the shining brightness of the movie was its ending: a new puppy of Old Yeller’s was brought to the family. What an excellent way to provide hope and remind us that life continues.

Mama drove us home; I went straight to Sparkle and hugged her real hard. 

Prayer: Thank you. Amen