# Bowser the Hound — Green Meadow Stories character guide

> Bowser the Hound in Green Meadow Stories by Thornton W. Burgess.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Bowser, Bowser the Hound, Poor Bowser, old Bowser, that meddlesome Bowser, Bowser the Hound Farmer Brown

**First appearance:** 0086-xix-where-was-bowser-the-hound

## Snapshot

A great-voiced hound whose love of the hunt is so strong he forgets everything else, Bowser lives for the trail and for Farmer Brown's boy.

## Who they are

When Bowser is following Reddy Fox, nothing short of losing the trail will make him stop, and Farmer Brown's boy knows that voice among a million and runs across the snowy fields just to hear it. For once Bowser forgets the hunt entirely when he nearly runs into his master, and his joy is so wild he yelps, races in circles, and nearly knocks the boy down. His devotion and his single-minded trailing make him both the fox's danger and the story's warmest heart.

## Relationships

### [Farmer Brown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/farmer_brown)

_professional_

Bowser the Hound serves as Farmer Brown's loyal hunting dog and guardian of the farm.

### [Reddy Fox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/reddy_fox)

_rivalry_

Bowser the Hound relentlessly chases Reddy Fox, acting as his primary canine pursuer.

### [Happy Jack Squirrel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/happy_jack_squirrel)

_friendship_

Bowser the Hound and Happy Jack Squirrel are amiable neighbors, often interacting without hostility.

### [Old Man Coyote](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/old_man_coyote)

_rivalry_

Bowser the Hound and Old Man Coyote are fierce adversaries, with Bowser often chasing the coyote.

### [Reddy Fox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/reddy_fox)

_rivalry_

Bowser the Hound relentlessly chases Reddy Fox, acting as his primary canine pursuer.

### [Farmer Brown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/farmer_brown)

_professional_

Bowser the Hound serves as Farmer Brown's loyal hunting dog and guardian of the farm.

### [Farmer Brown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/farmer_brown)

_professional_

Bowser the Hound serves as Farmer Brown's loyal hunting dog and guardian of the farm.

### [Old Man Coyote](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/old_man_coyote)

_rivalry_

Bowser the Hound and Old Man Coyote are fierce adversaries, with Bowser often chasing the coyote.

### [Happy Jack Squirrel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/happy_jack_squirrel)

_friendship_

Bowser the Hound and Happy Jack Squirrel are amiable neighbors, often interacting without hostility.

### [Reddy Fox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/reddy_fox)

_rivalry_

Bowser the Hound relentlessly chases Reddy Fox, acting as his primary canine pursuer.

## In the story

### [Happy Jack Decides to Make a Call](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xviii-happy-jack-decides-to-make-a-call)

Mentioned as a potential danger to avoid during the visit.

### [XIX: Tommy Tit and Happy Jack Pay a Visit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xix-tommy-tit-and-happy-jack-pay-a-visit)

Mentioned as eating breakfast out back, posing no threat to Happy Jack's visit.

### [XXXII: Happy Jack Is Perfectly Happy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxxii-happy-jack-is-perfectly-happy)

Bowser seems to accept Happy Jack as part of the family, even winking at him when Happy Jack drops nutshells on his head.

### [Bowser the Hound](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/bowser-the-hound)

The central character of the chapter, lost and trying to find his way home.

### [I: Old Man Coyote Leads Bowser Away](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/i-old-man-coyote-leads-bowser-away)

Eagerly pursues Old Man Coyote, not realizing he is being led into strange country.

### [Old Man Coyote Plays a Trick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/ii-old-man-coyote-plays-a-trick)

Becomes so absorbed in chasing Old Man Coyote that he is led into strange country and loses the trail.

### [What Happened to Bowser](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/iii-what-happened-to-bowser)

Exhausted but persistent, Bowser follows Old Man Coyote's scent until he falls off a bank into icy water.

### [IV: Poor Bowser](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/iv-poor-bowser)

Lost, cold, bruised, and exhausted after being led onto a frozen river by Old Man Coyote; he limps ashore and howls in despair.

### [Bowser Spends a Bad Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/v-bowser-spends-a-bad-night)

Lost, wet, tired, lame, and hungry; takes shelter in a deserted sugar camp.

### [VI: The Surprise of Blacky the Crow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/vi-the-surprise-of-blacky-the-crow)

Bowser is found inside the sugar camp house, surprising Blacky.

### [VII: Blacky the Crow Takes Pity on Bowser](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/vii-blacky-the-crow-takes-pity-on-bowser)

Lost and lonesome, he shows friendliness toward Blacky and whines for help.

### [How Blacky the Crow Helped Bowser](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/viii-how-blacky-the-crow-helped-bowser)

Bowser is injured, hungry, and lonely, but follows Blacky's guidance toward a road that leads to a farmhouse.

### [IX: Old Man Coyote Gives Out Dark Hints](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/ix-old-man-coyote-gives-out-dark-hints)

Mentioned as having been led far away and lost; his absence is the subject of rumor.

### [X: How Reddy Fox Investigated](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/x-how-reddy-fox-investigated)

Bowser is absent from his home, confirmed by Reddy's investigation and Farmer Brown's boy's calls.

### [XI: A Little Unpleasantness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xi-a-little-unpleasantness)

Bowser is absent from his house, leading Reddy to believe he is gone.

### [The Difference Between Being Inside and Outside](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xiv-the-difference-between-being-inside-and-outside)

Mentioned as having disappeared, contributing to Reddy's initial sense of safety.

### [XV: Reddy's Forlorn Chance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xv-reddy-s-forlorn-chance)

Bowser is mentioned in the opening saying but does not appear in the chapter.

### [Where Was Bowser the Hound?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xix-where-was-bowser-the-hound)

The missing hound whose whereabouts are unknown to most.

### [Where Bowser Was](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xx-where-bowser-was)

Weak, lame, and half-frozen, Bowser follows the road and is rescued at a farmhouse.

### [Bowser Becomes a Prisoner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxi-bowser-becomes-a-prisoner)

Bowser is the central character, injured and taken in by a farm family, feeling both grateful and imprisoned by their kindness.

### [XXII: Farmer Brown’s Boy Looks in Vain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxii-farmer-brown-s-boy-looks-in-vain)

Bowser is missing and presumed dead; Farmer Brown's boy searches for him in vain.

### [Bowser's Great Voice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxiii-bowser-s-great-voice)

Uses his great voice to express homesickness while tied in the yard.

### [Blacky Tries to Get Help](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxiv-blacky-tries-to-get-help)

Bowser is mentioned as being alive, lost, and homesick; Blacky knows his location and seeks to help him.

### [XXV: Blacky Calls on Reddy Fox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxv-blacky-calls-on-reddy-fox)

Bowser is mentioned as being in trouble, having been led into it by Old Man Coyote, and is the reason Blacky seeks help.

### [Red Wits and Black Wits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxvi-red-wits-and-black-wits)

Mentioned by Blacky as having been seen recently, but Reddy expresses hope that Bowser will never return.

### [The Artfulness of Blacky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxvii-the-artfulness-of-blacky)

The hidden beneficiary of Blacky's scheme, though not present in the scene.

### [Reddy Tries to Arouse Blacky's Pity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxix-reddy-tries-to-arouse-blacky-s-pity)

Mentioned as a prisoner of kindness at the farm, central to Blacky's scheme.

### [Blacky Is Much Pleased with Himself](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxxi-blacky-is-much-pleased-with-himself)

Mentioned as the one Blacky hopes to help return home by luring Reddy to the farm.

### [XXXIII: Reddy Watches the Fat Hens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxxiii-reddy-watches-the-fat-hens)

Bowser is mentioned in the opening line as a reference point for Reddy's changed behavior.

### [Things Happen All at Once](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxxv-things-happen-all-at-once)

Bowser follows the farmer out of the house and gives chase to Reddy, roaring with a voice that Reddy recognizes.

### [Reddy Hides the Fat Hen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxxvi-reddy-hides-the-fat-hen)

Bowser is on Reddy's trail, pursuing him persistently. He is too wise to be fooled by common tricks, forcing Reddy to keep running.

### [XXXVII: Farmer Brown’s Boy Has a Glad Surprise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxxvii-farmer-brown-s-boy-has-a-glad-surprise)

Heard baying in the distance, recognized by Farmer Brown's boy, and seen chasing Reddy Fox.

### [Reddy Goes Back for His Fat Hen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxxviii-reddy-goes-back-for-his-fat-hen)

Joyfully reunites with Farmer Brown's boy, forgetting the hunt entirely.

### [Where Was Reddy’s Dinner?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xl-where-was-reddy-s-dinner)

Bowser's scent is detected by Reddy around the stump, but Reddy knows Bowser did not take the hen because he was chasing Reddy at the time.

### [What Blacky the Crow Saw](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xli-what-blacky-the-crow-saw)

Bowser is led on the trail of Reddy Fox, as Blacky intended, to bring him back home.

### [All Is Well That Ends Well](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xlii-all-is-well-that-ends-well)

Returns home to Farmer Brown's and is spoiled by everyone, becoming the happiest dog in the Great World.

### [Reddy Fox Brings Granny News](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/i-reddy-fox-brings-granny-news)

Mentioned as a threat if the foxes are seen during daylight.

### [Old Granny Fox Is Caught Napping](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/vi-old-granny-fox-is-caught-napping)

Hunts Granny's trail but is tricked and loses her scent.

### [Granny Fox Has a Bad Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/vii-granny-fox-has-a-bad-dream)

Appears in Granny's memory and dream as the pursuer she tricked earlier and who chases her in the nightmare.

### [Granny Fox Promises Reddy Bowser’s Dinner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xvii-granny-fox-promises-reddy-bowser-s-dinner)

The target of the foxes' scheme; his dinner is to be stolen, and he is chained up.

### [Why Bowser the Hound Didn’t Eat His Dinner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xviii-why-bowser-the-hound-didn-t-eat-his-dinner)

Bowser is chained and tricked by the foxes; he loses his dinner.

### [Old Man Coyote Does a Little Thinking](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xix-old-man-coyote-does-a-little-thinking)

Has his dinner stolen twice by the foxes; his whines reveal his confusion.

### [XX: A Twice Stolen Dinner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xx-a-twice-stolen-dinner)

His dinner is stolen by the foxes, then stolen again by Old Man Coyote.

### [Granny and Reddy Talk Things Over](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxi-granny-and-reddy-talk-things-over)

Bowser is the original owner of the stolen dinner; he makes a racket that alerts Mrs. Brown, but cannot explain what happened.

### [XXIII: Farmer Brown’s Boy Forgets to Close the Gate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxiii-farmer-brown-s-boy-forgets-to-close-the-gate)

Bowser barks and tugs at his chain after glimpsing Granny Fox, distracting his master.

### [A Dinner for Two](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/chapters/xxv-a-dinner-for-two)

Mentioned as a potential threat whose barking would alert Farmer Brown.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters/bowser_the_hound
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/green_meadow_stories_se/characters