The next spring, Tod has matured into an adult. Tod dismisses this, believing that their friendship is stronger as he tells Big Mama that he and Copper will remain friends forever. After they leave, Big Mama warns Tod that his friendship with Copper must come to an end, for Copper will be a trained hunting dog when he returns and thus will pose a danger to Tod. Tod tries to go say goodbye to Copper, but he arrives too late. One fall day, Amos prepares to take Copper and Chief on a winter-long hunting trip. Tod escapes by hitching a ride in Tweed's car, but Amos' threats against Tod forces Tweed to keep the fox locked up for his own safety. Amos spots Tod and attempts to shoot him, believing that the fox was after Amos' chickens (they were actually accidentally let out during the chaos). Tod doesn't believe Copper and accidentally awakens Chief, who chases him across the yard. Tod decides to play with Copper in the yard, but Copper warns him of Chief, Amos' other dog, who is a trained hunting dog and will not hesitate to kill Tod. He finds that Copper is tied up, as Amos had grown tired of the puppy wandering off.

One day, Copper doesn't come out to play, so Tod sneaks over to Amos' yard. The two become fast friends, unaware that they are natural enemies. One day, he goes out to play and runs into Copper, a newly-acquired hound puppy of the neighboring Amos Slade, an avid hunter. Tod grows quickly and becomes quite mischievous, doing such things as aggravating Tweed's cow and spilling her milk. Tweed discovers the pup, whom she adopts and names him Tod, for he reminds her of a toddler. With help from Dinky the sparrow and Boomer the woodpecker, Big Mama leads Widow Tweed to the pup by dropping a piece of her laundry on him. Frightened and alone, he meets Big Mama, a large owl who takes pity on the pup and decides to find someone to care for him. He later becomes amorous when he meets and falls in love with Vixey.Īt the beginning of the movie, a mother fox leaves her male pup beside a fence before escaping, only to get shot and killed by hunters (off-screen), leaving the little pup orphaned. His extreme loyalty to those he cares for is shown when he helps Copper fight off an enormous bear. When Tod matures into an adult, he retains his affection for those he cares about most, despite destiny driving a wedge between him and Copper and being returned to the wilderness by Tweed. Like any best friend, Tod treats Copper as his own flesh and blood. He is frequently bored and always on the lookout for a friend, which leads him to Copper. His mischievous side brings out a devil-may-care attitude toward Chief and trouble in general.

Since there are few restrictions on his life, Tod is prone to making mischief and getting into trouble. As a kit, Tod is a sweet, cunning, lovable young fox who lives a very carefree lifestyle with Widow Tweed.

The fox and the hound fight