John R. Erickson

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....

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....

Loper and Sally May have left Slim to manage the ranch while they go off to visit the relatives for the holidays....

When Deputy Kile calls in a favor and recruits Slim to help him round up some escaped goats that have made their way onto the ranch, a hilarious rodeo ensues....

There's a burglar on the loose, and he's robbing houses with the help of a supersneaky, super-stinky, secret weapon...

Woodrow, Slim’s future father-in-law, is a man of few words. So, when he takes the trouble to warn Slim about an Arctic cold front that is about to descend on the Texas Panhandle, Hank knows the ranch is in for a rough time....

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....

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....

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....

When a funny turn of events brings a parrot to the ranch, Hank is not worried. After all, what harm can one copycat bird do? So he decides to go about his business....

Prairie Gothic is full of Texas lore. Erickson tells the story of people in the context of a specific place. This place, instrumental in shaping their lives, is the flatland prairie of northwestern Texas....

Hank couldn't be more thrilled when Beulah the Collie comes to the ranch looking for help....

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....

Things are looking pretty bleak for Hank the Cowdog. First he gets sick on poisoned bacon grease....

When Sally May and Loper head off to visit the relatives, leaving Slim in charge of Little Alfred, Hank knows that trouble is sure to come knocking....

Hank the cowdog has seen dry summers in his years as the head of ranch security, but nobody on the ranch has seen a drought like this one....

Hank and Drover have just hitched an accidental ride into town in the back of Slim's pickup, and boy, are they excited....

A rumor on the ranch: who ever heard of a fiddle-playing fox? Not Hank the Cowdog, that's for sure....

Hank is in real trouble this time. Loper and Sally May's relatives are coming for Christmas dinner, and Sally May has been working to get the entire ranch in order - including preparing for the Christmas feast....

Things are not looking good for the ranch. So when Loper heads into town to negotiate with the banker, Slim hits the road in search of a new home....