The Hound That Thought He Was a Raccoon facts for kids

The Hound That Thought He Was a Raccoon is a 1960 Walt Disney film. It was directed by Tom McGowan. The movie was shown alongside another film called Jungle Cat.

Story Time!

This film tells the amazing story of an unlikely friendship. It's about a little raccoon and a curious hound dog.

A Strange Family

The story begins with Mala, a mother raccoon, and her baby, Weecha. They live safely inside an old tree. One day, a big storm causes a flood. The tree falls, and Mala can only save Weecha.

Nearby, a man named Jeff Emory lives with his coonhound dogs. One of his dogs, Lulubelle, has just had puppies. The most playful pup is named Nubbin. He loves to explore the farm.

One day, Nubbin crawls inside a butter churn. Jeff doesn't know Nubbin is inside. He loads the churn onto his truck and drives away. The churn falls off the truck and breaks open. Nubbin is dizzy and lost. He soon finds the hollow tree where Mala and Weecha live. Even though dogs and raccoons are usually enemies, Mala takes care of Nubbin. She nurses him just like her own baby.

Growing Up Together

After two weeks, Nubbin meets Old Grouch, Weecha's father. Old Grouch attacks Nubbin, but Mala bravely fights him off. Old Grouch then leaves the area. As summer arrives, Nubbin and Weecha become the best of friends. They have many fun adventures together.

One day, Nubbin is chased by a wildcat. Mala saves him by leading the wildcat away. Sadly, Mala loses her life protecting Nubbin. Now, Weecha and Nubbin are alone. They search for food and find Jeff fishing. They cleverly steal his fish! Jeff realizes that Nubbin is Lulubelle's missing puppy. He catches both Nubbin and Weecha. He puts Weecha in an empty rabbit cage.

Jeff is surprised when Nubbin refuses to leave his raccoon friend. Later, Weecha figures out how to open his cage. He escapes for a night of fun with Nubbin. They accidentally make a mess in Jeff's workshop. A metal rod falls, starting a grinding wheel. Sparks fly, and a fire begins! Weecha quickly runs back to his cage. Jeff wakes up because his dogs are barking. He puts out the fire. He finds Weecha and Nubbin sleeping peacefully, looking innocent.

Friends Forever?

Three weeks later, Jeff starts training Nubbin and his other young hounds. He wants them to learn how to track raccoons by their smell. At first, Jeff uses a raccoon skin for training. But when he uses Weecha, Nubbin refuses to hunt his friend. He even fights off the other dogs!

Months pass, and Jeff goes on a hunting trip with his favorite dog, Rounder. Nubbin and Weecha are now grown up. Weecha is still in the rabbit cage. But Nubbin helps his friend escape! Weecha, now an expert at opening latches, lets all of Jeff's rabbits out. Accidentally, he steps on a shotgun trigger. The loud shot alerts the hounds, who break out and chase the rabbits. Weecha hides inside a barrel. The dogs roll the barrel just as Jeff returns with Rounder. Weecha escapes but Rounder chases him. They fight in a pond, and Weecha almost drowns Rounder before getting away. By autumn, Weecha is living completely wild. He finds food like duck eggs, nuts, and berries.

In the spring, Jeff and his friends start a new hunting season. Weecha finds a mate named Waheena. When Weecha hears the hounds coming, he uses a trick his father taught him. He acts as a decoy to lead the dogs away from Waheena. Nubbin is leading the pack. When he corners Weecha, he recognizes his old friend and barks happily. But Nubbin's barks bring the other dogs closer. Nubbin finds himself fighting his own kind to protect Weecha.

Jeff arrives and understands what is happening. He asks the other hunters to call off their dogs. Weecha runs off, and Nubbin follows him. Jeff explains the special friendship between them. When Nubbin finds Weecha with his mate, Weecha chases him away. Nubbin realizes their friendship can't be the same anymore. He promises himself he will never hunt Weecha again. Nubbin then returns to Jeff, his loyal friend and master.