John R. Erickson

It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. Guts, glory, danger, and sacrifice are all in a day's work for Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security....

Fall is an important time of year on a ranch, mostly because it means that winter is coming soon! And, on Hank’s ranch, that means that the cake house is about to be filled with bags of feed to get the cattle through the long frozen days ahead....

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....

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....

Someone has been stealing feed out of the feed shed, and Hank knows that it's his job to do whatever he can do to help nab the culprit....

On a tip from Pete the Barncat, Hank the Cowdog and his faithful second-in-command, Drover, go in search of the fabled pot of chicken at the end of the rainbow....

Rufus the Doberman Pinscher has come to the ranch, and he's harassing the girl of Hank's dreams....

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....

Plato is back...that is, back on the scene. Once again, he's lost and Beulah is worried. However, when she calls on Hank to head up a rescue effort, little do either of them realize that their search will lead them right into the path of the hungry cannibal brothers, Rip and Snort.

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

When Little Alfred runs away from home and winds up in the Dark Unchanted Forest being trailed by a bobcat, Hank the Cowdog knows that it's up to him to save his young master....

Something fishy is going on....

Someone has been raiding Sally May's garbage barrels....

Who lived in Texas over a thousand years ago? In Porch Talk, John Erickson and his archaeologist friend Doug Boyd investigate this question while explaining the art and science of archaeology for middle listeners.

It's winter in the Texas Panhandle, and the ranch is covered in snow and ice....

Cattle call. A gang of marauding dogs is threatening the calf population on the ranch, and Hank knows that it's up to the Head of Ranch Security to do something about it....

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....

There's a new dog on the ranch, and Hank the Cowdog is none too thrilled about it....