- In your own words what has happened in the book? Retell the major details of the story’s plot so far after reading each chapter.
The first few chapters tell the reader about Spud, and the beginning of her life. Spud is a blue heeler and she’s been bred to live on a farm and muster cattle. Unfortunately for her, she’s stuck in a pet shop in the middle of the city. This is how her life starts and soon she moves in with a family. At first they find her cute and adorable, but Spud doesn’t stay a puppy forever and soon they get sick of her and send her to the pound. Pounds and Animal Shelters only keep their stray and unwanted animals for a couple of weeks and soon her time there is about to come to an end. The people put up posters about her, hoping that someone will take her in. On this particular day an old farmer (Mr. Robertson), just happens to drive into town from his cattle farm. When he sees the poster about Spud he decides to take her, because he doesn’t believe in dogs (especially blue heelers) living in the city.
Spud’s life changes in the country and slowly she learns how to herd cattle. Already on the farm are 2 other male dogs and Spud stays with them. Pup and Chester teach her about the cattle, the best places to run around and how to get on the man’s “good side”.
One day while Spud is watching Pup and Chester at work, an accident occurs. Chester (who is already old) has to get put down, because of a bad injury. Soon after this, Mr. Robertson also passes away and his daughter comes to sell his farm.
Jim Morton buys the land with his wife and their daughter Kylie. Kylie and her mother love the dogs and treat them with love and care, not like Jim Morton, who never feeds or gives them water and beats and bashes them with sticks and rocks. From there Spud goes from a friendly, loving blue heeler to a dog that that’s always sad, lonely, hungry, thirsty, suspicious and nervous.
He only few enjoyments of her life are when the man goes to work and she gets to go for long walks with kylie and her mother, while they stroke her and play with her.
But one day all of this ends. While Kylie and her mum and the dogs were lying outside, half asleep, they heard they heard the shrill ear-piercing screech of Jim Morton’s motorbike. Unfortunately it was too late and the he had already seen the dogs off their chains.
Later that night, Spud could hear shouting, (by the man), screaming, (by Kylie’s mother), and Kylie crying. The next day when Kylie was on her way back from school, she saw her father trying to catch the dogs. She called pup over to her, and he came. She held his collar and gave him reluctantly back to her dad. He found a thick steel pipe and started bashing pup with it. Then he started hitting Kylie, because she tried to protect him.
This was all too much for Spud, and she leapt. She went for the hand that was holding the pipe and knocked the man down. After Spud left him alone, the man went for his gun, but Kylie was too quick for him and she unclipped Spud and she ran away. The man fired, but missed and Spud kept running.
Life in the bush without food was tough for Spud. She ate once or twice a week, if she was lucky, until she was tempted to go back home. The man was away and Kylie fed Spud, but Spud knew she couldn’t stay and when she was full, left.
