Howard Kane was shot in the back by a man named Cole (either Cole Matson, as shown in the credits, or Jack Cole, as Matt Dillon refers to him) during a range war four years prior to this story. Kane has spent the years since that time trying to find Cole to exact revenge. He finally tracks Cole to a ranch near Dodge City.
Meanwhile, some wild dogs have been wreaking havoc on herds of cattle and sheep on the farms near Dodge. Festus Haggen, Nathan Burke, and Sam Noonan have eliminated all but one of the dogs. Sam manages to wound the final dog, but the dog runs away.
Abelia Johnson, a character that appeared in two previous episodes of Gunsmoke, continues to live with her two kids, Marieanne and Jonathan on a farm near Dodge. The Johnson kids find the dog and recognize it as Dobie, a dog that had lived with them as a puppy. The dog is gentle around the kids, and they begin to care for it.
When Kane stops at Abelia's farm to tend to his horse, a friendship and romance begins to develop between the two. However, Abelia refuses to allow Kane to become too close if he is intent upon killing Cole.
As the story unfolds, Abelia becomes the caregiver for both the dog and Kane, but there is a lingering question of whether either can be trusted.
Jaqueline Scott reprises her role as Abelia Johnson, a rare recurring character that never became part of the regular cast. The kids are played by different actors, however. Jodie Foster in a red-haired wig replaces Susan Olsen, who played the daughter in the earlier two episodes. (The daughter's name was spelled "Marianne" in those episodes and "Marieanne" in this episode.) Brian Morrison assumes the role of the son, replacing Mike Durkin. Both Foster and Morrison appeared as orphans in the "P. S. Murry Christmas" episode from earlier in Season 17.
The third episode of Gunsmoke broadcast from Season 1 featured the actor, Claude Akins. Akins guest stars for the final time on Gunsmoke with this episode. He appeared in a total of ten episodes over the years.
A few notable character actors pop up in this story in small roles. Mills Watson appears in the opening as a cowboy confronted by Kane. George Murdock plays the part of Cole Marston -- the man Kane is pursuing -- in a single scene. Read Morgan and Lew Brown play ranch hands that work with Cole.
This story is a straightforward rehash of the old betrayal-revenge trope common in the Westerns genre. Frequent Gunsmoke writer Calvin Clements, Sr attempts to disguise it by using a most un-clever, obvious parallel story concerning the wild dog. Expect no surprises with this story. However, the performances are up to the usual Gunsmoke high standards, and the story is entertaining.
