Hank the Cowdog facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hank the Cowdog

Hank the Cowdog logo
Author	John R. Erickson
Illustrator	Gerald L. Holmes
Cover artist	Gerald L. Holmes
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Children's fiction
Publisher	Maverick Books (original) Puffin Books (reprints) Editorial Sudamericana (Spanish)
Published	1983 – current
Media type	Print, ebook, audiobook
No. of books	76

Hank the Cowdog is a popular book series for kids. It is written by John R. Erickson and illustrated by Gerald L. Holmes. The stories are about Hank, a dog who believes he is the "Head of Ranch Security."

In each book, Hank and his friends face different events and mysteries. These adventures happen at their ranch home in Ochiltree County, in the Texas Panhandle. The ranch's name is never shared in the stories.

The series started in 1982 with a few short stories. Since then, over 70 printed books and seven audio-only books have been released. Hank the Cowdog was first published by Maverick Books. Now, Puffin Books publishes the English versions in America.

Each book includes songs that John R. Erickson sings in the audiobook versions. The series has won awards and is well-loved by many. Over eight million copies have been sold around the world. The books are available in many languages, including Spanish, Danish, Persian, and Chinese.

In the 1980s, the first book was made into a cartoon for CBS Storybreak. Teaching materials for the series are also available from Maverick Books. A story called The Case of the Dancing Cowboy was published in parts in American newspapers in 2002.

Meet the Ranch Characters

Hank: Head of Ranch Security

Hank is the main character and narrator of every story. He is the only character who appears in all the books. Hank says he is a "purebred top-of-the-line blue-ribbon cowdog." This might actually be true!

The official Hank The Cowdog Website says Hank is based on a real Australian Shepherd dog. Hank sees himself as the "Head of Ranch Security." He does security checks and patrols every night. However, his real job is to help Slim and Loper herd cattle.

Hank thinks he is super smart, strong, brave, and good-looking. This often gets him into trouble, usually because of his own ideas. A lot of the humor comes from Hank trying to make himself look better in his stories. But readers usually know what really happened! Even with his flaws, Hank is very loyal to his family and the ranch. He always steps up when there's a real problem.

The dog character is based on an Australian Shepherd named Hank. This dog belonged to a neighbor of John R. Erickson. Erickson was managing a ranch in Oklahoma at the time. The neighbor wanted the dog to help with cattle, but the dog wasn't trained and caused problems.

Drover: Hank's Best Friend

Drover is a younger dog who lives on the ranch with Hank. He is Hank's best friend. Hank calls him his assistant, or sometimes a "little mutt" when he's annoyed. Unlike Hank, Drover doesn't have big ideas about himself. He likes to stay out of trouble and sleep a lot. Hank says Drover sleeps 16 hours a day!

Drover often does useless tasks he makes up. For example, in The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog, Hank sees Drover chewing on an old horn. Drover then buries it and forgets where it is. He is also very shy and often pretends his leg hurts to avoid work.

Drover is very curious and asks Hank strange questions. He might ask, "Why does the moon rise in the evening and set in the morning?" Hank rarely knows the answers but still tries to give them. Drover often seems to have more common sense than Hank. This helps him avoid many of the problems Hank creates. Drover appears in every story except A1: The Homeless Pooch.

Sally May: The Ranch Wife

Sally May is High Loper's wife and the mother of Little Alfred and Baby Molly. She is a housewife who enjoys parties. She often helps keep her cowboy husband in line. She can be easily stressed, especially when company is coming over.

Pete the Barn Cat is her favorite pet. She is kind to both Pete and Drover. However, she doesn't like Hank very much. She often gets mad at him for coming into her yard or house, or for fighting with Pete. When she's angry, she usually tries to hit Hank with her broom.

Despite this, Hank often thinks Sally May secretly respects him. In truth, her feelings change. She might be disgusted by his antics, but then temporarily respects him after he does something heroic.

High Loper: The Ranch Owner

High Loper (his last name is never given) owns the ranch. He is an old-fashioned cowboy who loves roping, riding, and working his ranch. Loper never wants to leave the ranch and hates going out of town. But he's not a workaholic. He often does sloppy work and lets his ranch hand, Slim Chance, do the hard jobs.

His wife has helped him calm down some of his less social cowboy habits, and he loves her. However, in some stories, he misses the days when he was just a simple cowboy. In "Murder in the Middle Pasture," Sally May is lecturing Slim about social events. Loper secretly mouths "no you won't" behind her back.

Loper often makes fun of Hank and gets angry at him. But he also relies on Hank to help herd the cattle. In "Every Dog Has His Day," Hank saves Loper from quicksand. This shows Hank's loyalty to his owner.

Little Alfred: The Ranch Kid

Little Alfred is Loper and Sally May's older child. His middle name is Leroy. Alfred likes Hank and often joins him on adventures. Some of these are harmless. But in "The Case of the Hooking Bull," Alfred tricks Hank into going into the dryer and turns it on. This shows he has a mischievous side.

Most of the story "Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest" is about Hank looking for Alfred. Alfred goes missing in the woods. In this story and a few others, Alfred can talk to animals. However, in later stories, he seems to lose this ability. It is explained that as children get older, their ability to understand animals fades. Hank is very protective of Alfred. He often risks his life to protect him, calling it every cowdog's duty. Alfred first appears in book #2, The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, where he is called "the baby."

Pete the Barn Cat: Hank's Rival

Pete the Barn Cat is Hank's main enemy on the ranch. Pete is Sally May's favorite pet. He often uses this to his advantage in his small fights with Hank. Pete is much smarter than Hank and usually outsmarts him. Hank, however, usually sees things differently.

Many of Hank's adventures start with an embarrassing moment where Pete has tricked him. In "The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog," Hank's eyes cross after staring at a bloody nose. He got it by attacking a fried egg Pete had, which was just behind Sally May's garden fence. In "The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob," the whole story is about Hank being too protective of a corncob. Pete tricked him into believing it was worth a lot of money.

In "The Case of the Missing Cat," Hank finally gets fed up with Pete. He tries to leave him stranded on the plains. But Hank changes his mind and saves Pete from the coyotes Rip and Snort. The two then complain that saving Pete means they have to be friends and stop fighting. However, by the end of the adventure, they are back to fighting over scraps. This suggests they both secretly enjoy their rivalry. Pete is also called "Pete The Cow Cat" in the book "The Case Of The Perfect Dog." In that story, Pete wanted to take Hank's place as the top dog.

Slim Chance: The Ranch Hand

Slim Chance is a lazy but loyal cowboy and ranch hand who works for High Loper. It's not clear how long Slim has worked at the ranch. He has often talked about moving to a bigger ranch, but he has never quit. He does most of the work Loper doesn't want to do. Sometimes, he even has to babysit Little Alfred, whom he likes.

Slim lives in a messy shack two miles from the ranch headquarters. His house is very dirty. He often leaves old dishes, clothes, food, and livestock magazines lying around. This causes a constant rodent problem. He also hates cooking. This means he eats terrible food, like sardine and ketchup sandwiches or boiled turkey necks.

Slim loves playing pranks. He once put a smoke bomb in the town's volunteer fire truck. He tricked Loper into thinking there was a fire, causing Loper to start the truck and set off the bomb. Even though Slim loves to prank Hank and tease him, he clearly cares for both Hank and Drover. He often asks them to join him on odd jobs. The first audio-only book, The Homeless Pooch, says Slim is Hank's owner. However, in other books, Hank and Drover are said to be Loper's dogs, or even Alfred's.

Wallace and Junior: The Buzzards

Wallace and Junior are two buzzards Hank sometimes meets. Wallace is an old buzzard and Junior's father. He is very harsh and doesn't get along with most other characters. He also thinks mostly about food. He doesn't seem to like Hank much, but sometimes acts decently towards him.

Junior, Wallace's son, is slow and clumsy. He is more timid than his father and stutters. He loves his father but often makes Wallace angry. Junior is cowardly, friendly to other animals (who Wallace thinks they should eat), and generally bad at being a buzzard. Wallace also hates Junior's love of singing.

Rip and Snort: The Coyote Brothers

Rip and Snort are two coyote brothers who hold a grudge against Hank. At one point in The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, Hank, Rip, and Snort became friends. However, they are enemies in most other books. They are mean and strong, but not very smart. Hank often escapes from them by tricking them. They call Hank "Hunk."

Scraunch: The Tough Coyote

Scraunch is a mean coyote who is high up in his pack. He strongly hates Hank. He is the brother of Missy Coyote, whom Hank was once supposed to marry. Scraunch is smarter, tougher, and grumpier than Rip and Snort.

Missy Coyote: Hank's Crush

Missy Coyote is a coyote who was once promised to be Hank's mate. If Hank attacked the ranch and killed Drover, he would join her family pack. Hank refused to do this, showing his loyalty to the ranch and to Drover as a friend. Hank seems to like Missy, and even though he doesn't like coyotes, he seriously thought about joining her pack. Missy was first named "Girl-Who-Drink-Blood." Hank didn't like the name and called her Missy Coyote instead. Unlike most of Hank's crushes, Missy actually thinks he's cute.

Beulah: The Collie Dog

Beulah is a collie dog who lives on a nearby ranch. Hank is completely in love with her. He is always trying to impress her, which usually makes him look foolish. Beulah lives on her ranch with her boyfriend, Plato, a bird dog whom Hank dislikes.

Even though she likes Hank as a friend, she doesn't love him back. She tries to let him down gently so she doesn't hurt his feelings. Despite this, Hank still believes Beulah is in love with him. He thinks she would show it if Plato wasn't around.

Plato: The Polite Bird Dog

Plato is a polite bird dog who likes Hank. This is true even though Hank clearly dislikes him. Plato is in love with Beulah, which bothers Hank a lot. Plato seems not to notice or care that Hank is always trying to win Beulah over. He also seems unaware of Hank's bad feelings towards him. Plato has only small roles, except in The Case of the Missing Bird Dog and The Quest for the Great White Quail. In these books, he got lost, and Hank had to find him.

Madame Moonshine: The Owl

Madame Moonshine is a "witchy little burrowing owl" who sometimes helps Hank. She often calls Hank "Hank the Rabbit." She has a bodyguard, a rattlesnake named Timothy. When she uses her magic, it is usually very strange and might not work as planned. For example, in Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest, she and Hank were tied upside-down to a tree branch. Rip and Snort were planning to eat them below. She said a spell to make them stop. But because they were upside-down, it just made them sing their song backward.

Dog Pound Ralph: The Basset Hound

Dog Pound Ralph is a basset hound who lives in the local dog pound. His owner, Jimmy Joe, works at the pound. He just puts Ralph in any available kennel. Ralph has a pretty calm life, except when his owner lets him out, like in The Fling. Ralph was first introduced in book #3, It's a Dog's Life.

Eddy the Rac: The Tricky Raccoon

Eddy the Rac is a raccoon who sometimes appears and causes trouble. He was an orphan baby, and Slim took care of him for a while in Moonlight Madness. Eddy always confuses Hank. He pretends to be monsters or aliens. He also tells Hank many convincing tall tales. Every time Slim puts Eddy in a cage, Eddy convinces Hank to let him out and enter the cage himself. Then Eddy locks Hank in. Despite this, Hank keeps falling for it and doesn't like Eddy much.

Bobby Kile: The Deputy Officer

Bobby Kile is the local deputy officer. He comes to the ranch or calls Slim and Loper when something is wrong. This is especially true when there's a criminal loose or a local problem. He appears in books 35, 48, 55, 58, 60, 61, 69, 71, 74, and 76. He also likes to play pranks on Slim!

Miss Viola: Slim's Love Interest

Miss Viola is Slim Chance's girlfriend. She lives with her parents not far from his place. Slim asked her to marry him in "The Big Question." Her father, Woodrow, convinces Slim to invest money in livestock. He also lets Slim use his land to keep them there, in "The Case of the Monster Fire."

Book Adventures: The Hank the Cowdog Series

Here is a list of the many adventures Hank has had:

• The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1983)
• The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1983)
• It's a Dog's Life (1985)
• Murder in the Middle Pasture (1985)
• Faded Love (1986)
• Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (1986)
• The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob (1986)
• The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse (1987)
• The Case of the Halloween Ghost (1987)
• Every Dog Has His Day (1988)
• Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest (1988)
• The Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox (1989)
• The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve (1989)
• Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business (1990)
• The Case of the Missing Cat (1990)
• Lost in the Blinded Blizzard (1991)
• The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog (1991)
• The Case of the Hooking Bull (1992)
• The Case of the Midnight Rustler (1992)
• The Phantom in the Mirror (1993)
• The Case of the Vampire Cat (1993)
• The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting (1994)
• Moonlight Madness (1994)
• The Case of the Black-Hooded Hangmans (1995)
• The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado (1995)
• The Case of the Kidnapped Collie (1996)
• The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster (1996)
• The Mopwater Files (1997)
• The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper (1997)
• The Case of the Haystack Kitties (1998)
• The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook (1998)
• The Garbage Monster from Outer Space (1999)
• The Case of the Measled Cowboy (1999)
• Slim's Good-bye (2000)
• The Case of the Saddle House Robbery (2000)
• The Case of the Raging Rottweiler (2000)
• The Case of the Deadly Ha-Ha Game (2001)
• The Fling (2001)
• The Secret Laundry Monster Files (2002)
• The Case of the Missing Bird Dog (2002)
• The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree (2003)
• The Case of the Burrowing Robot (2003)
• The Case of the Twisted Kitty (2004)
• The Dungeon of Doom (2004)
• The Case of the Falling Sky (2005)
• The Case of the Tricky Trap (2005)
• The Case of the Tender Cheeping Chickies (2006)
• The Case of the Monkey Burglar (2006)
• The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup (2007)
• The Case of the Most Ancient Bone (2007)
• The Case of the Blazing Sky (2008)
• The Quest for the Great White Quail (2008)
• Drover's Secret Life (2009)
• The Case of the Dinosaur Birds (2009)
• The Case of the Secret Weapon (2010)
• The Case of the Coyote Invasion (2010)
• The Disappearance of Drover (2011)
• The Case of the Mysterious Voice (2011)
• The Case of the Perfect Dog (2012)
• The Big Question (2012)
• The Case of the Prowling Bear (2013)
• The Ghost of Rabbits Past (2013)
• The Return of The Charlie Monsters (2014)
• The Case of the Three Rings (2014)
• The Almost Last Roundup (2015)
• The Christmas Turkey Disaster (2015)
• Wagons West (2016)
• The Secret Pledge (2016)
• The Case of the Wandering Goats (2017)
• The Case of the Troublesome Lady (2017)
• The Case of the Monster Fire (2018)
• The Case of the Three-Toed Tree Sloth (2018)
• The Case of the Buried Deer (2019)
• The Frozen Rodeo (2020)
• The Case of the Red Rubber Ball (2020)
• The Case of the Missing Teeth (2021)

Audio Adventures

Books 1 through 49 were available on cassette tapes. All books now have audio book versions.

Audio-Only Stories

Some stories were only released as audio. These are numbered with an "A" before the number. For example, The Homeless Pooch is A1.

• The Homeless Pooch (2004)
• The Watermelon Patch Mystery (2005)
• The Kitty Cheater (2006)
• The Runaway Windmill (2007)
• The Cookie Moon (2008)
• The Dancing Cowboy (2009)
• The Valentine's Day Robbery (2010)

Hank the Cowdog: On Screen and In Your Ears

CBS Storybreak Adaptation

In 1985, CBS Storybreak aired a cartoon episode based on the first Hank the Cowdog book. The episode changed some things from the original book. For example, coyotes talked normally instead of their silly language from the books. The child character was removed. The setting changed from a Texas cattle ranch to an Arizona chicken farm. Also, it went from a married couple and one ranch hand to a female in charge with two ranch hands.

Hank the Cowdog TV Series

An animated TV series based on the books is being made. It will be produced by HTC Productions and Huhu Studios. It was first announced at a children's content market in 2015. There is no exact release date for the series yet. The show will use 2D animation and will have 13 episodes.

There was an earlier try at a TV series in the late 1990s. It was going to be made by Nickelodeon, WildBrain, and 501 Productions. This series would have mixed 2D animation with real-life backgrounds. A test video was put online on Vimeo in 2015.

Hank the Cowdog Podcast

A five-episode podcast was made, adapting Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest. It was produced by QCode and released in September 2020. The series was written and directed by film director and writer Jeff Nichols.

It featured famous voices:

• Matthew McConaughey as Hank
• Jesse Plemons as Drover
• Kirsten Dunst as Sally May
• John R. Erickson as Wallace the buzzard
• Scoot McNairy as Junior
• Michael Shannon as Sinister the Bobcat
• Joel Edgerton as Rip and Snort
• Leslie Jordan as Pete the Barn Cat
• Cynthia Erivo as Madame Moonshine