Despite being popular in its home country of the United States, especially in the southern areas, the Black Mouth Cur is not relatively known in other parts of the world. In fact, the breed’s exposure in pop culture works and media is limited compared to other dog breeds of the same build and appearance. However, the Black Mouth Cur was notably featured in the 1956 children’s novel entitled Old Yeller.

Written by author Fred Gipson, the novel tells the story of a yellow Black Mouth Cur named Old Yeller and his relationship with the Coates family. Set in the 1860s in Texas, the story begins when a young boy named Travis and his family are temporarily left behind by their father to go on a cattle drive. During this time, a yellow dog wanders off into the family ranch and stays there without consent from the family. Not being able to get rid of the dog, the family ends up taking him in. Travis names the dog Old Yeller. The name refers to both the dog’s yellow coat, which is pronounced “yeller” in the south, and because the dog’s bark sounds more similar than a person’s yell than an actual bark.

At the beginning, Travis does not take well to the dog, even referring to him as a “rascal”. In fact, he tries to get rid of the dog on multiple occasions. However, as time passes, he starts to warm up to Old Yeller, especially after the dog goes out of his way to save Travis and his loved ones on several instances. These include helping Travis escape from wild hogs, rescuing his brother Arliss from a bear and saving his mom and their friend from a wolf. After Old Yeller has proved his worth, Travis eventually falls in love with the dog and they form a strong friendship. Even when the true owner of Old Yeller shows up in the ranch, he decides to let the dog stay after seeing the bond that Old Yeller has built with the family.

Unfortunately, this was also the time when an epidemic among animals was spreading. While trying to save the family from a rabid wolf, Old Yeller gets bitten and infected by the disease. Not wanting to risk Yeller turning on his family, Travis decides to kill the dog despite their friendship. At the end of the story, Travis takes in one of Yeller’s puppies with a friend’s dog. The puppy slowly helps him get over Yeller’s death and start anew.

Old Yeller is considered a classic and received several awards, including a Newbery Honor in 1957. Disney also adapted the book into a film, which also became a success. To date, Old Yeller remains a favorite and helped make the Black Mouth Cur breed a favorite choice for a pet, especially in southern USA.