<P> The experience reminds Billy of his childhood in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma . He wants a dog, and his parents offer to get him a mongrel from a neighbor . He wants two coonhounds, but his parents cannot afford them . Billy finds a magazine ad for a Kentucky kennel which breeds Redbone Coonhounds and sells them for $25 each . He goes to work performing odd jobs and saves the $50 he needs with the help of his grandfather . Since it takes two years to do so, his grandfather writes to see if the kennel will honor the ad . They do, and the price has dropped so the two puppies only cost $40 . </P> <P> Billy's dogs are delivered to the freight depot in Tahlequah . His family does not have transportation, so he finds his own way to get to the depot and walks through the hills . He picks up his puppies, which are a male and a female . He buys a gift for each member of his family with his extra $10 before heading back home . </P> <P> On the way back home, he spends the night in Robber's Cave in the Sparrow Hawk Mountains . There he builds a fire and plays with the puppies . While trying to sleep, he hears a noise that he realizes is the cry of a mountain lion . In the morning, he continues on . He comes to a sycamore tree with the names Dan and Ann carved inside a heart in the bark and decides to name the puppies Old Dan and Little Ann . </P> <P> To train Old Dan and Little Ann, Billy traps a raccoon with the help of his grandfather and uses its pelt to teach them to hunt . During their training, their personalities become apparent: Old Dan is brave and strong, while Little Ann is very intelligent . Both are very loyal to each other and to Billy . </P>

Who are the dogs in where the red fern grows