 Near the novel 's conclusion , Judd refuses to honor his agreement with Marty because there was no witness . When Marty asks his mother what a witness is , she responds : " Somebody who knows the Lord Jesus and don 't mind tellin ' about it . " Despite Judd 's refusal to honor the agreement , Marty persistently maintains his part of it . He decides : " I got no choice . All I can do is stick to my side of the deal and see what happens . All in the world I can do . " After ultimately ceding Shiloh to Marty , Judd asks : " What you going to do with that dog once he 's yours ? " Marty 's simple reply is : " Love him . " Scholar Claudia Mills noted that : " The resolution of the stand @-@ off comes when Marty , in essence , stands witness , in his mother 's religious sense of witness , for an ethic of love , crystallized in his love for Shiloh . " 
