Dog Star (short story)

"Dog Star"
Author	Arthur C. Clarke
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction
Published in	Galaxy Science Fiction
Publication date	April, 1962

"Dog Star" is a 1961^[1] science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke about an astronomer and his dog, Laika. The story was also published under the title "Moondog".

Plot summary

An Astronomer on a moon base awakes from a dream in which his dog, Laika, is barking. He then flashes back to when he found Laika on the side of the road years ago, and how his fondness for her grew after she alerted him of an earthquake, saving his life. He comes out of the flashback just in time to sound the alert for a lunar tremor that, thanks to his prompt action, kills only two of his fellow crew members. He remembers his dead dog, realizing that Laika could not actually have saved him, for she was separated by 5 years time and a barrier that no man or dog could ever bridge (her death). It was his never sleeping subconscious mind, sensing the tremors, that knew how to wake him, by making him dream of Laikas's barking as she did in the earlier earthquake.

References

1. ^ Short Stories. Arthurcclarke.net, 2007-2011, retrieved June 22, 2011