The rabid dog that Atticus shoots in To Kill a Mockingbird is named Tim Johnson. The dog wanders through Maycomb in an abnormal, staggering state, alarming the neighborhood and suggesting that it has contracted rabies.
The episode becomes one of the clearest early demonstrations of Atticus Finch’s abilities. Sheriff Heck Tate gives Atticus the rifle because Tate knows Atticus is the only person positioned to make the difficult shot safely. Atticus reluctantly fires from a distance and kills the dog with a single bullet, protecting the nearby residents.
Scout and Jem are astonished because they have never thought of their quiet, older father as a skilled marksman. Scout learns that Atticus was once known as “One-Shot Finch,” but he had chosen not to boast about his talent. The event reinforces his humility and his belief that abilities should not be used carelessly.
Tim Johnson is sometimes confused with the novel’s human characters, especially Bob Ewell or Tom Robinson. He is an animal and is not connected to the later courtroom case except through the novel’s broader themes of danger, fear, and moral responsibility.