In Sounder by William H. Armstrong, the family’s coon hound, Sounder, departs to the woods to heal with the acid from oak leaves after attempting to protect his master and being blasted in the head by the deputy’s shotgun. After two rigorous months of healing, Sounder reappears to the family as a living skeleton with a shattered shoulder, single eye, the use of only three legs, and a damaged voice. The mother’s response to Sounder’s return foreshadows a turning point in her attitude: “ ‘Poor creature. Poor creature,’ said the mother and turned away to get him some food.” She exhibits much more kindness and interacts more with Sounder after his return. Before Sounder was brutally wounded, the mother always ordered the boy to go feed the dog.
