In the novel Lost and Found by Alan Dean Foster, a commodities trader named Marcus Walker is suddenly abducted by a greedy alien race known as the Vilenjji. While held captive on a massive starship, he discovers he is part of a diverse menagerie of sentient beings intended for sale as exotic pets or novelties. Walker forms an unlikely alliance with George, a dog from Earth granted speech through alien technology, as well as a sarcastic, multi-limbed K’eremu and a powerful, poetic Tuuqalian. Together, the group orchestrates a daring escape into the ship's infrastructure, eventually finding rescue through a more sophisticated civilization called the Sessrimathe. Although they are liberated from their cages and given a luxurious habitat on a new world, the protagonists must grapple with the realization that they remain alien curiosities in a galaxy where their homes are lost.