Buck

Buck is the central figure of The Call of the Wild by Jack London, a large and powerful dog, part Saint Bernard and part Scotch shepherd, who weighs one hundred and forty pounds. He is born and raised on Judge Miller's estate in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley of California, where he rules as undisputed king over the grounds, the kennel dogs, and the household pets alike. His size, intelligence, and the dignity of an easy, well-fed life set him apart from every other animal on the place.

That settled world ends when Manuel, one of the gardener's helpers, secretly sells Buck to pay gambling debts. Roped, crated, and shipped north, Buck passes through many hands before reaching the snow. He is bought by the French-Canadian courier Perrault and turned over to the dog-driver François, fair men who teach him the harness alongside seasoned sled dogs such as Dave and Sol-leks. Among the team he finds a bitter rival in Spitz, the lead dog, a standing contest that runs beneath the daily work of the trail.

Driven by hunger, cold, and the law of club and fang, Buck adapts swiftly, his buried instincts waking as the soft Southland falls away. Later, in the camp of John Thornton, he knows for the first time a master he loves rather than merely obeys, even as a call sounding deep in the forest pulls at him.