Showing results by author "John R. Erickson" in All Categories

Hank encounters the weirdest cat he's ever seen when he, Slim, Drover, and Little Alfred head over to the Hodge's place to feed the cattle. Hank gets bumped out of the back of the Cammo-Stealth army truck. Mary D. Cat is the only one around to help keep Rip and Snort at bay. Will Slim realize Hank is missing in action? Is Mary D. Cat really a vampire? Or could it be - gulp - that she's a good cat after all?

As Head of Ranch Security, Hank knows that it's his job to clear the ranch of all intruders - and that includes gophers. But when Hank's efforts to rid the yard of one such critter causes a stampede in the middle of the cattle roundup, Loper decides that he just can't take it any more. He wants Hank to learn some manners, so he's sending him to - gulp! - obedience school.

There's something spooky going on at the ranch! When Halloween arrives, Hank - the self-appointed Head of Ranch Security - has got his hands full of adventure. First there's a problem with the Tricker Trees. Then the ranch is invaded by two skeletons, a witch, and a pirate. And when Hank goes to investigate a strange sound in the cake house, he's sure it can only be one thing...a ghost. Can Hank rid the ranch of this unwanted visitor? Or is he destined to be spooked for good?

Slim Chance is in a bad mood. In fact, he’s been in a bad mood for a few months now, and it looks like it might become a permanent condition. The ranch has been in the middle of one of the worst droughts it’s ever seen, and when the clouds do finally decide to let down a little rain, the last thing Slim wants to hear is that Deputy Kile got more rain than he did. Things are looking pretty bleak until Little Alfred asks his dad to take him fishing, and Slim winds up having to go in Loper’s place.

After his many years as a typical bachelor cowboy, Slim Chance is convinced - against his will - that he needs to build his own herd of cattle and invest in the future. But, just about the time his new herd is calved-out and his investment is beginning to look promising, the dry and windy weather conditions put the entire county on high alert for fire danger. Hank is sure he and Slim can defend the ranch against anything that comes their way...that is, until they come face-to-face with a wildfire unlike any grass fire they’ve seen before.

It all starts with Hank the puppy enjoying his family's backyard home. Feathers start to fly when Hank defends his backyard against invading...phantom ducks? Hank's mother says it's a good time for him to go out on his own before the dogcatcher arrives. So Hank makes his way to the Twitchell Livestock Auction. Will he join up with Slim, the cowboy he meets there? Or will the dogcatcher provide his new home?

Tired of his reputation as a con artist, Eddy the Rac sets out to prove that he's really a master magician. But the trick's on Hank when Eddy pulls a disappearing act - and leaves the Head of Ranch Security perched in the henhouse with egg on his face.

A rumor on the ranch: who ever heard of a fiddle-playing fox? Not Hank the Cowdog, that's for sure. But when several reports of unexplained fiddle music come in, Hank knows that it's his job to check things out. And to his surprise, he finds that the ranch has indeed been invaded by a fox with a fiddle!

The head of ranch security and his first lieutenant, Drover, are finishing up an exhausting morning of patrols when a mysterious caravan of trucks rumbles past headquarters. Going in for a closer look, Hank the Cowdog apprehends a large red box bearing a mysterious label: "WARNING! MONKEY! DO NOT OPEN THIS BOX!"

Loper and Sally May have left Slim to manage the ranch while they go off to visit the relatives for the holidays. But, just when it begins to look like another boring bachelor Christmas with Slim, a storm blows in and the electric fence seperating a herd of steer from the highway shorts out. Now, it's up to Slim, Viola, and the ranch's security division to jump into action! Things take a surprising twist when Slim comes down with a burning fever in the middle of the operation, but nobody, and especially not Miss Viola could have been ready for the even bigger surprise that transpires on the way to the hospital!

Hank makes a foolish bet with his archenemy, Pete the Barncat, that he can catch the Lumberpile Bunny. He loses the wager, his job, his pride, and even his gunny sack bed under the gas tanks. Hank begins to plot revenge. He must dispose of the cat. That sounds simple. But without Pete, Hank discovers scrap time has lost all its joy and meaning.

There's a new dog on the ranch, and Hank the Cowdog is none too thrilled about it. He's supposed to keep an eye on Jake until his owner shows up, but Jake's got other plans. He has to get to Madagascar before someone makes off with his treasure! As if Hank doesn't have enough to worry about, there's a saddle thief on the loose.

Hank is helping the cowboys with the dangerous mission of rounding up a very angry bull when a strange twist of events brings a yellow Labrador onto the scene. The entire ranch quickly becomes enamored with this new addition to the ranch's Security Division. Who wouldn't love a good-natured dog who strikes fear into the hearts of angry bovines, wears a big sloppy grin all day, and adores the ranch kids? Where will Hank fit in now that there is a Perfect Dog on the scene? Hank sings a little thing called "Happy Dog", and the yellow Labrador sings his story in "Happy's Confession".

Pete the Barncat isn’t known for his reliable story-telling, but when his report about a strange, tree-devouring creature is corroborated by another source - namely J. T. Cluck, the ranch’s head rooster - Hank decides to investigate. However, just as the plot begins to thicken, Pete claims that it was all a joke and that the creature, a Three-Toed Tree Sloth, was really just a porcupine! Fortunately, Hank realizes that that’s just what a sneaky cat would say to throw him off the trail.

When Hank makes the mistake of asking Drover what he's doing, Drover reveals his observation that the moon looks like a cookie! After some highly scientific discussion and calculations, Hank and Drover agree that the moon is a cookie, not swiss chesse. And, when Loper sets down Sally May's picnic basket, which contains some oatmeal raisin cookies, the plot thickens, and Hank realizes the cookie moon was a sign that he should...you'll never guess what!

It’s all hands on deck after head rooster J.T. Cluck files an alarming report that the Charlies have invaded the ranch! And, things go from bad to worse when, in the midst of the chaos, Drover turns up missing. Between J.T.’s report and some important clues from Pete, the Security Force has no choice but to assume that he's been taken hostage! Will Hank be able to rescue his deputy from the Charlies in time—or even find out where they're hiding him—or is it curtains for everyone's favorite sidekick?

The drought on Hank’s ranch has finally ended, and it’s a beautiful spring day. In fact, it’s the kind of day in which the head of ranch security really wouldn’t expect to find himself protecting the ranch from bloodthirsty mosquitoes, doing toad duty, or, most especially of all, standing between his cowboy friends and a sick and angry cow. However, that’s exactly what happens when Miss Viola asks Slim and Hank to help Woodrow haul a cow to the veterinarian. And, what begins as a simple job soon turns into a circus when the cow proves to be a little more clever than anyone anticipated.

Happy the Lab is back on the ranch, and it looks like he’s up to his usual good-natured, bumbling ways! And, it just so happens that he has wandered onto Hank’s ranch on a particularly exciting day: rain has finally come to their drought-stricken land, and - what’s even more exciting - radio reports claim that there’s a mountain lion on the prowl in their area! As the day unfolds, it appears that the mountain lion report was bogus, which is a good thing, since Hank already has his paws full surviving a bout of food-poisoning and a treacherous investigation of the machine shed.

It’s early January on Hank’s ranch when Slim and Loper receive word that an ice storm is headed their way. However, just as they’re about to prepare the cattle and stock tanks at the ranch to safely weather the storm, Deputy Kile calls with some bad news. It seems that one of their electric fences has short-circuited, and some of their wheat pasture steers have strayed into town and onto the Twitchell golf course! Slim saddles up his horse and heads off to retrieve the steers, but a few mishaps delay his cowboying just long enough to coat Twitchell in ice....

Of all the mysteries Hank has faced in his illustrious career as the head of ranch security, the only one that still has him truly stumped is the key to unlocking Miss Beulah's heart. Why on earth would she go for a bird-brained bird dog when a specimen like Hank stands ready to sweep her off her feet? Could there be more to this problem than meets the eye?