The Master (The Fox and the Hound novel)

NOTE: ''This article is about the Master in the 1967 novel, The Fox and the Hound. For the master from the film, go to Amos Slade.''

The Master is the main antagonist of the 1967 novel, ''The Fox and the Hound. ''He is the owner of Chief and Copper.

Role
During a bear hunt, Chief protects his master from the bear as the bear turns on him, while Copper was too afraid to confront the bear. The master ignores Copper to heap praise on Chief and Copper's hatred and jealousy. One day, when Tod came to the master's house, Chief was chasing Tod as the master sees the dog escape and follows with Copper. As Chief died, he was buried causing the master to cry over a dead dog. Then, the master trains his oldest dog, Copper to ignore every single fox except for Tod. The master used over a dozen hunting techniques in his quest for revenge. Before Tod and the vixen's kits were grown, the Master finds the den and kills the kits. That winter, the Master sets out leg hold traps, and the vixen gets caught causing her to die.

As Tod finds a new mate and both gave birth to more kits, the master uses a "still hunting" technique, in which he sits very quietly while playing a rabbit call to draw out the foxes. Later on, he kills the kits, as well as Tod's new mate. The Master lost most of his own land, and Copper is the only dog that he currently owns. In each winter, they still plan on killing Tod. The Master was spending his time drinking alcohol, and people tried to convince him to move into a nursing home, where it does not allow dogs. After one infected fox attacks a group of humans who were children, they approach the Master and ask his help in killing the foxes. The master was using traps and poison to try to kill as many foxes as possible, but the poison also kills domestic animals. A human child died from eating the poison, which caused the humans to remove all of the poison, then the Master organizes a hunt in which large numbers of people line up and walk straight into the woods, willing to kill foxes. One morning, after Tod escapes from the greyhounds, the Master sends Copper to go on the hunt. The Master nurses Copper back to health, and they both enjoyed their new popularity. A few months later, the excitement over Copper's accomplishment dies down which causes the master to get left alone again. After that, he returned to drinking. Once again, the master was asked to live in a nursing home without allowing dogs, and this time he agrees. As the master starts crying, he takes his shotgun from the wall, leads Copper outside, and pets him gently before ordering him to lie down. The master covers Copper's eyes as he licks his hand trustingly.

Trivia

 * The Master is based on Amos Slade, the main antagonist of the Fox and the Hound film.