Jack London's The Call of the Wild (1903) follows Buck, a pampered St. Bernard-Scotch Collie mix stolen from his comfortable California home and sold as a sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush. Thrust into the brutal wilderness of the Yukon, Buck learns the harsh law of club and fang, fighting for survival against cruel masters, rival dogs, and the unforgiving environment. Through hardship, he sheds his domesticated ways and awakens to primal instincts inherited from his ancestors. After the tragic death of his beloved master, John Thornton, Buck finally answers the mysterious call of the wild, joining a wolf pack and embracing his true nature as a free creature of the wilderness.
