In 'Where the Red Fern Grows' how does Billy's father explain why Billy's dog died?

Answer 1

His father explained it by saying that God may have taken the dogs in order to prevent the family from being separated. See, if the dogs were to still be alive, then when the family moved, Billy would have had to stay with his grandfather. They wouldn't have been able to take the dogs where they were moving.

Answer 2

In the first chapter, the dogfight was hard for him to watch because it brought back memories of his own dogs of his childhood days in the Ozarks. His dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann, got into a fight with a mountain lion which brought about Dan's death. Dan's death later led to Ann dying of sadness. So when the narrator is watching the dogfight as an adult, it brought back these memories, especially when he sees that the dog being picked on was an old red coonhound, just like his dogs were. He says: "It's hard for a man to stand and watch an old hound fight against such odds, especially if that man has memories in his heart like I had in mine. I had seen the time when an old hound like that had given his life so that I might live." He remembers Old Dan dying to save his own life, and this touched his heart and brought back memories.

Answer 3

He once had dogs of his own and felt sorry for the dog.

Answer 4

Billy's father explains that the dog died because of its loyalty and love for Billy. The father believes that the dog's heart broke after losing sight of Billy and yearning for him too much.