Dogs with Old English names have long existed. In pop culture, one of the most popular dogs with such a name is Buck from The Call of the Wild, Jack London’s short adventure novel. The Call of the Wind got published back in 1903 and was set in the Yukon region of Canada during the late 1890s. The plot revolves around a dog named Buck and the Yukon region’s high demand for powerful sled dogs.

The story begins with Buck, a large, strong, and powerful Scotch Shepherd-Saint Bernard mix, who lives peacefully and happily with his rich owners in Santa Clara Valley, California. Buck is well-pampered and loved by the Millers, the family that owns him. One day, one of the family’s gardeners, Manuel, was desperately trying to source money to satisfy his addiction to gambling. Without much hesitation, he decided to steal Buck away from the Millers and sell him. Buck then got shipped to the west coast.

On his way there, he was forced into a crate where he got inhumanely treated and starved. Upon getting released, the sweet and loving Buck became feral. He attacked one of the workers described as “the man in the red sweater,” who repeatedly hit Buck until the dog stopped in fear. Later on in the novel, Buck got sold to two French-Canadian dispatchers working for the Canadian government. The dispatchers, Francois and Perrault, brought Buck with them to Yukon. There, they trained Buck to brave the harsh weather conditions and become a sled dog. After several trainings, Buck learned how to survive the harshly cold weather in Yukon and started to blend in with the other sled dogs.

Buck became part of a pack, however, the pack’s vicious lead dog Spitz, considers Buck to be his rival. The two dogs got into a heated fight where Buck ended up winning. As a result, the pack kills Spitz and Buck became the new pack leader. The pack got subjected to a lot of hardships. They had to brave the cold nights of Yukon almost every night while carrying heavy sleds of mine. The journeys they take are long and draining. In the novel, Buck continuously got passed onto different people who hardly care about him. He went through a lot of hardships, endured harsh environments, got neglected by his owners, and fought other dogs in order to survive the wilderness.

It was only until Buck met John Thornton that he felt loved again. Thornton found Buck a remarkable dog. He took Buck in and nursed him back to recovery. The two of them grew very fond of each other. Unfortunately, Thornton and his friends got murdered by a group of Yeehat Indians. When Buck saw the body of his beloved friend, he recognized the scent and followed it, eventually killing the natives that murdered Thornton. Moments after, a group of wolves attacks Buck, all of which he defeated. Buck followed them into the wilderness and, as written by Jack London, answers the call of the wild.