Chapter 12: That Dog Won't Hunt No More

"Hunting dog, with rifle and fall scenery, c. 1963."

Photo courtesy of Hot Springs County Museum, Thermopolis, WY.

Birmingham is so hot that Kenny and Byron have trouble sleeping in their shared bed.

When Kenny wakes up, he finds Byron outside standing next to Dad, Mr. Robert, and an old hunting dog named Toddy. Toddy once was the best coon dog in Alabama, until a raccoon nearly drowned Tonny during a hunt. Mr. Robert saved Toddy's life by blowing air into his mouth!

Kenny later listens as Momma and Grandma Sands catch up in the kitchen, but he can only make out half of their conversation because he is still adjusting to their Southern style of talking. Momma is upset by all the changes she sees in Birmingham and in Grandma Sands' home. While Kenny eats his breakfast, the women gossip about old friends and discuss race relations between the Black and white residents of Birmingham. Momma nervously raises the question of Mr. Robert, to which Grandma Sands firmly reminds her daughter she's a widow and that Mr. Robert is her "dearest friend." Later, Mr. Robert brings Dad, Byron, Joey, and Kenny to the best local fishing spot, and Byron appears to be enjoying the company of the grownups. They return to the house, and, exhausted by the heat, Kenny falls asleep.

Fact Check: Mr. Robert's says that his coon dog was nearly drowned by a raccoon. Could this actually happen?

What do we know?

While Mr. Robert's story sounds hard-to-believe, it might not be entirely made up. There are a few documented cases of dogs drowning due to raccoon attacks. Raccoons are nocturnal (only active at night) and do not regularly interact with domestic animals. However, it is possible that a raccoon might defend itself if threatened or cornered. Additionally, humans can perform CPR on a dog, which delivers oxygen to the animal's respiratory organs.

What is the evidence?

Secondary source: "CPR for your dog or cat," infographic, Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University (NY).

"If your pet isn't breathing, check to make sure her windpipe is clear. Pull the mouth open, grasp the tongue, pull the tongue toward you and get a look all the way to the back of the throat. If you see something in there, gently try to remove it. Be careful not to push it further into the airway. ... Start by doing 30 chest compressions, pause to deliver 2 quick breaths, then immediately repeat both steps. ... [To issue rescue breaths] 1. Close the Mouth. 2. Make sure your pet's windpipe is as straight as possible. Head should be flat on the table or floor and the tip of the nose should be aligned with the spine. 3. Open your mouth, put it over both of the pet's nostrils, make a seal, and deliver a breath. 4. Allow the pet to exhale and repeat for one more breath."

Fact Check: Kenny is surprised by Grandma Sands' accent. Why would she sound so unfamiliar to Kenny?

What do we know?

Today's technology, including the Internet and cell phones, make hearing voices around the world, in real time and through recordings, an affordable, everyday occurrence. But in Kenny's time, long distance phone calls were expensive, and traveling was more time consuming and costly. The audio recordings (TV, radio, and records) people heard tended to be local (from one's own community) or national, and national media used a "flattened accent," deemed accessible to the broadest possible audience.

Voices from the Field

"Hunting in the Mid-20th Century" by Julia Brock, an assistant professor of History at the University of Alabama and editor of Leisure, Plantations, and the Making of a New South: The Sporting Plantations of the South Carolina Lowcountry and Red Hills Region, 1900–1940.

Photos & Multimedia

Boy holding a small fish he caught in a creek in Phenix City, Alabama.

Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Ed Jones, Birmingham News.

"Birmingham, Ala(bama). Average Negro Homes/MST," film negative.

Marion S. Trikosko, film negative, May 14, 1963. Library of Congress, U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection.

Writing Prompts

Opinion

Choose a climate (temperature and precipitation over time) somewhere in the world that is different form the climate in your geographical region. Choose two dates on the calendar that occur in different seasons. For example, your birthday and your half birthday. Would you prefer the climate of the place you selected or the climate of the place where you currently live? Introduce the topic, clearly state your opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support your choice.

Informative/explanatory

Research the topic “hunting dogs.” Choose one particular breed and write an informational report about it. Include physical and behavioral characteristics as well as the type of hunting the dog has been bred for. You may also choose to write about the different ways humans have used dogs to hunt over the thousands of years of domestication. Introduce the topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs including formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aid in comprehension.

Narrative

“That Dog Won’t Hunt No More.” The title of this chapter refers to something you loved to do but can’t do anymore. Write a first-person true or imaginary story about having to give up something that you or your narrator used to be able to do. Establish the situation and organize a sequence that unfolds naturally. Provide a conclusion that accurately characterizes the narrator’s thoughts and feelings.

Note: Wording in italics is from the Common Core Writing Standards, Grade 5. Sometimes paraphrased.