Bud: Flipper's more important to me than some people. You'd think I'd be more important to him than some dolphins.

Porter: Remember last year when we read The Call of the Wild?

The Call of the Wild (1903) is a novel by American writer Jack London. The plot concerns a domesticated dog whose primordial instincts return after a series of events finds him in the treacherous, frigid Yukon during the days of the 19th century Gold Rushes. Because the protagonist is a dog, it is sometimes classified as a juvenile novel, but it is dark in tone and contains numerous scenes of cruelty and violence.

Below: First edition of "The Call of the Wild".