The Call of Home

In farm country, generations of cats grow up in the barn, living a rugged, survival-of-the-fittest life that allows them the freedom to wander across fields and travel to other farmyards. Humans neither make rules for them to obey nor expect the cats to obey any rules. However, a dog living on the same farm is expected to learn to obey commands, stay home, and guard the farmyard. The Call of Home takes place on a small farm in western Minnesota, where Rex, an eight-week-old puppy, and Goofy Tom, an orange tabby kitten, meet and become friends. Will their friendship endure the life-and-death challenges of growing up on a farm, where their humans have vastly different expectations of dogs and cats? Or will their friendship wane as their different roles force them to grow apart? How will Goofy Tom and Rex meet the many challenges of survival in the roles dictated to their species?The Call of Home is fiction, but Rex and Goofy Tom and many of their adventures are based on pets owned and raised by the authors when they farmed in western Minnesota from 1973 to 1978, during Gordon's first teaching job. Follow the joy and the heartbreak endured by Goofy Tom and Rex and their humans as they learn about each other's needs on one adventure after another.