The Long Trail Home Author:Josh Durfey Sheba is a beautiful golden collie. Ever since she was a puppy, she has lived at Pete Harper's remote cabin in the rugged Alaskan north woods. — When Pete must leave her temporarily in the care of an old friend, Sheba is miserable. She runs away into the woods, determined to find her master, but she is totally unprepared for the harsh ways of the... more » wild. She is exhausted and on the brink of starvation when Big Silver, a large wolf, "adopts" her as his mate.
Big Silver patiently teached Sheba how to fend for herself in the wilderness. Gradually, she adapts to her new life - hunting, playing, raising a family.
Their male pup grows to enermous size - powerful, but with Sheba's gentleness. He is strangely restless and lonely, until the day that he accidently meets Pete's youngest son. The boy and the giant wolf-dog begin a secret friendship. But it is cut short by sudden tragedy...
Filled with evocative descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and the day-to-day struggle for survival of its animal inhabitants, The Long Trail Home also gives a fascinating account of pioneer life in Alaska shortly after the bustling Gold Rush days, And the author's sensitive portrayal of the devotion between animals and humans will find a rapt audience in older children - and will leave many a cynical adult misty-eyed.« less