Dogs in space! Share this book with middle graders who enjoy stories about dogs, space adventures, or action adventure stories—or all three! Perfect for fans of Homeward Bound and Woof. Lopside is a Barkonaut, a specially trained dog who assists human astronauts on missions in space. He and the crew aboard the spaceship Laika are en route to set up an outpost on a distant planet. When the mission takes a disastrous turn, the Barkonauts on board suddenly find themselves completely alone on their severely damaged ship. Survival seems impossible. But these dogs are Barkonauts—and Barkonauts always complete their mission. SOS. Ship damaged. Human crew missing. We are the dogs. We are alone.