The Call of the Wild

Santa Clara County, California judge Miller failed to properly house-train his dog, big-hearted, pampered St. Bernard-Scotch Collie Buck, who gets kidnapped and sold after an adventurous (boat) journey, where he's beaten as preparation to dog fights, in the Alaskan Yukon area, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. After befriending kind recluse John Thornton by bringing him his fallen mouth organ, Buck is luckily bought by Afro-American Perrault, who runs a never-on-time postal line with his cynical native friend Francoise. Buck learns the hard job of sled dog under the able leadership of loyal Spitz, but becomes the bosses' favorite after saving her life. Having fought off a wolf threat and a duel with jealous Spitz, he becomes leader of the pack and is damned good at it. Only telegraph technology renders sled mail obsolete, the pack is disbanded. Buck is sold to clueless rich gold prospector Hal, who ignores due warnings and runs his sled expedition into disaster. Escaped, survivor Buck comes live with Thornton, who left San Francisco after a family tragedy, but provides the perfect base for Buck to befriend the local pack of wolves, his future after fighting off vindictive Hal with John.