Hank the Cowdog Series

The popular Hank the Cowdog series is based on the humorous antics of the canine Head of Ranch Security. In this first book, Hank and his little buddy, Drover, set out to solve a series of baffling murders on the ranch. Is Hank a suspect? An Outlaw? Can he clear his good name?

As the proud new owner of a Priceless Corncob, Hank knows that being rich can change your life. But does it mean giving up his position as Head of Ranch Security?

What happens when Hank the Cowdog finds himself stuck in town and facing the mean, monster Great Dane, “Rambo”? Rambo’s only weakness is that he’s a car-barkaholic. He just can’t resist chasing and barking at passing cars. Join Hank as he runs the Eighteen-Wheeler Marathon, charms his nieces and nephews with tales of courage, and enlists Dog-Pound Ralph in a scheme to banish Rambo.

Heading into the wild outback, Hank goes in search of his true love, the charming Miss Beulah. Hank is sure he can win Beulah's heart - but first he'll need the help of a powerful aphrodisiac.

Hank’s third adventure opens with Hank in trouble again, so he heads to town to make a surprise visit to his sister, Maggie. Sounds innocent enough, but while in town, Hank contracts a mysterious case of "soap hydrophobia" - and ends up in the dog pound! Will he find a way out?

Who - or what - has been killing the chickens? And, more importantly, what is Ranch Security going to do about it? These are the critical questions in the sixth adventure of Hank the Cowdog. A fiendish murderer is loose on the ranch, and never before has Hank followed so many clues or interrogated more suspects. Every character in the book turns out to be a suspect - including Hank himself. Can he solve the crime and prove his innocence before he is relieved of his command...and condemned?

When it comes to dealing with Tuerto, the one-eyed stud horse from the next ranch over, Hank's usual approach is not to approach him at all. But when Tuerto breaks loose and charges Little Alfred and his cousins, it's up to Hank to save them.

Accompanying Slim and Little Alfred into town on a Christmas shopping trip, Hank and Drover run into a wounded buzzard and a gang of toughs so mean and heartless, they begin to wonder they'll ever make it back to the ranch.

While Slim and Loper are away from the ranch for three days, Hank suffers from...is it a double bumblebee sting, or much worse? It falls upon Sally May to nurse the stricken Hank back to health. Her patience and compassion are seriously tested, while the afflicted Hank endures humiliation at the hands of Pete, Wallace and Junior, and an insulting veterinarian. Does Sally May care after all?

Against her better judgment, Sally May leaves the ranch in Slim’s care. While Slim naps, Hank and Little Alfred subject strawberry ice cream to rigorous product testing and then go for a ride in a mysterious spaceship. But, it’s when Slim finally awakens that their adventures really begin. Hank saves Slim from sure death, endures a terrible whipping from the Hooking Bull, and much, much more.

Hank and Drover must deal with all sorts of strange phenomena. They must defend the ranch against an attack of the terrible Charlie Monsters and a polka-dot midget. Then they must gather every ounce of courage they have to save the ranch from the Swirling Killer Tornado.

Slim rescues an orphan raccoon, and much to Hank’s dismay, everyone on the ranch is enchanted with the “cute” baby coon with the beady little eyes and amazing little hands. Yet, little do they know that every time midnight rolls around, Eddy the Rac is seized with uncontrollable fits and it’s Hank’s responsibility to guard the crafty masked bandit every moment! Soon Hank finds himself teaming up with Eddy to liberate the poor “singing” cookies.

It's Halloween, and strange things are happening on the ranch. When darkness falls, Drover reports that he has seen a witch, a ghost, a pirate, and two skeletons on Slim’s front porch . . . and, these terrifying creatures were saying something about “Tricker Trees.” Can Hank and Drover solve the mystery--before they get too spooked?

Hank is literally at the end of his rope in his tenth adventure. It’s roundup time at the ranch and Hank is left behind, tied to a post, while a high-bred border collie named Bennie takes Hank's place and runs the show. How can Hank restore himself as Head of Ranch Security and reclaim his fame and fortune?

When Hank, Slim, Drover, and Little Alfred head over to the Hodge’s place to feed the cattle, Hank encounters the weirdest cat he’s ever seen. Then, when 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?

A convoy of circus trucks is passing through the ranch. The last truck in the column hits a bump and a large red box falls off and comes to rest in the pasture. Hank and Drover investigate the box and discover that it contains a circus monkey. Pete advises Hank not to open it, but Hank’s curiosity gets the best of him. What follows is fun and adventure.

The fourth book in the Hank the Cowdog series, Murder in the Middle Pasture, begins with a baffling new mystery - the death of a calf on the ranch, and, as Head of Ranch Security, Hank must go on a very dangerous mission to spy on the coyote village and arrest the murderer. However, a pack of wild dogs soon complicates the plot, and it takes all of Hank’s deductive powers to solve this one!

Someone or something has been robbing eggs from the chicken house. Hank stakes out the chicken house and, to his surprise, sees a fiddle-playing fox hop in with the hens, play them some hot fiddle music, and then accept several fresh eggs as his payment! Instead of arresting Frankie the Fox, Hank joins forces with him to try and win the heart of Beulah the Collie.

A terrible winter storm strikes the Texas Panhandle. Down at Slim’s place, Hank and Drover listen to the wind howling outside, watching the snow pile up outside. The phone rings. It’s High Loper. Baby Molly has a bad cough and needs medicine. Can Hank go out into the blizzard and make it all the way to Headquarters with the cough medicine? Or, will he be captured and eaten by Rip and Snort?

The second book in the Hank the Cowdog series opens with Hank defending the ranch against the attack of a Silver Monster Bird. Later he is stricken with the dreaded disease, Eye-Crosserosis, and unless he can find a cure for this dangerous condition, his position as Head of Ranch Security is at stake! In his quest for the cure, Hank visits the cave of a witchy little owl named Madame Moonshine, and some crazy adventures follow.

Little Alfred is having a hard time accepting his new baby sister, Molly. Hank tries to give him some advice, but Alfred decides to run away from home. It's up to Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, to save Alfred from the coyotes, bobcats, and other monsters that lurk in the "dark unchanted forest."

Wonder if cattle rustlers still exist? Well, they do. Hank and Slim go on a camping trip to see if they can catch the mysterious stranger who is stealing calves. Hank devours all of Slim’s camp meat (weenies) and chews the tent rope in half during a thunderstorm. Slim gets soaked, but fortunately he never figures out why the rope broke.

Hank assists Eddy the Rac performing amazing feats of illusion. But the magic tricks backfire when Hank becomes a prime suspect in a felony and Eddy pulls a disappearing act. This tale leads Hank through the creepy haunted house as he tries to save his friend and clear his name.

Hank has his paws full when he discovers a mother cat and six kittens trespassing in a haystack on his very own ranch. (Have we mentioned that cowdogs don’t like cats?) Join Hank as he is trapped in a runaway pickup, surrounded by a herd of stray cats, and forced to battle a raging bull. Can Hank stop the cats from taking over his ranch?

Sally May and Loper head off to visit the relatives, leaving Slim in charge of Little Alfred. Hank’s sure trouble will come knocking. First, Slim is struck down with the measles. Then a blizzard hits the ranch, trapping them in the house with no heat or electricity. Somehow, Hank’s got to find a way to get them out of this mess...before they’re snowed in for good!

Hank’s day begins defending the ranch against a vicious one-eyed robot. After that exhausting morning, Hank supervises Little Alfred’s fishing trip. That routine expedition turns into a first-class crisis when Hank reels in more than he bargained for. A vanishing fishhook? Is there hope for Hank, or is it curtains for our hero?

Quail season has started, and Plato the Birddog is impressing the lovely Miss Beulah with his pointing ability. So, Hank tries to impress her with some bird work of his own by chasing a flock of noisy, wild turkeys away from the house. However, Sally May had been watching the turkeys, and that means that Hank is in deep trouble. But, in the middle of all of this, Beulah gets kidnapped by Scraunch. Can Hank save her?

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.

On the first day of quail season Plato, the Bird Dog, is missing. At first, Hank is willing to let him stay lost. But when Beulah pleads for help, Hank caves in and takes off in search of Plato. Before he can catch a scent of the spotted bird dog, he finds himself face-to-face with an angry mother hog and her litter. Can Hank’s quick wits help him out of this fix? Or will he become hog meat?

Someone has been raiding Sally May's garbage barrels! Hank knows the crime is the work of a notorious gang of raccoons, but in a tragic case of mistaken identity, the Head of Ranch Security is himself forced to take the heat. Even more trouble lies ahead. Rip and Snort, the good-for-nothing coyote brothers, are planning to pull an even bigger job. Not only is Hank powerless to stop them, he's forced to fight on the side of evil and must contend with terrifying forces!