From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hank the Cowdog
Hank the Cowdog
Hank:
Hank Hank is the main character and narrator of each
story in the Hank the Cowdog adventures. Hank claims to
be a "purebred cowdog" but is in fact most likely a mutt.
He styles himself as the "Head of Ranch Security" and
conducts security sweeps and nightly patrols. However
his real task is to serve as the assistant to Slim and Loper
in herding cattle. Hank has a superiority complex which
causes him to have an inflated sense of his own intelli-
gence, strength, courage and attractiveness. As a result
of this, Hank frequently finds himself in sticky situations,
usually of his own creation. Much of the humor of the se-
ries comes from Hank as narrator shamelessly attempt-
ing to make himself seem more competent with hind-
sight than he really was, but the reader is rarely fooled.
Despite his flaws Hank is deeply loyal to his family and
the ranch community and usually rises to the occasion at
the moment of true crisis.[1]
Drover:
Drover Drover is a younger dog who lives on the
Hank the Cowdog logo used on media. ranch with Hank. Hank refers to him as his assistant, or
as a "little mutt" when Hank is angry with him. Unlike
Hank the Cowdog is series of humorous children’s mys- Hank, Drover has no delusions of grandeur and enjoys
tery novels, written by John R. Erickson and illustrated spending most his time staying out of trouble and sleep-
by Gerald L. Holmes. The series began in 1982 with a cou- ing. In Book 17 Hank observes that while he is helping
ple of short stories about the proud but bumbling Hank, the cowboys with the cattle herding, Drover spends the
the self-styled "Head of Ranch Security". Over 56 books afternoon chewing on an old horn, buries it, and then
have since been written featuring Hank, his timid side- promptly forgets where it is buried. Hank considers this
kick Drover, his sworn enemy Pete the Barncat, and their a waste of time. Drover also spends a great deal of time
adventures on the M-Cross ranch in the northern Texas (16 hours a day according to Hank) sleeping. He is also
Panhandle. Every book in the series has been recorded unashamedly timid, and frequently avoids "the call of du-
in an audio book format, making it the longest-running ty" by pretending to have a bad leg. Drover has a great
popular children’s audio book series. The books all in- deal of curiosity and often asks Hank obscure questions
clude songs sung by Hank and other characters; these such as "Why does the moon rise in the evening and set
songs are all performed on the tapes by Erickson. It has in the morning." Hank rarely knows the answer to these
received various awards and acclaims, lauded by Publish- questions but this doesn’t stop him from providing ones.
ers Weekly and USA Today. Drover often appears to have more common sense than
The Hank the Cowdog books are supplemented by Hank, which allows him to avoid getting into many of the
teaching programs, and related lesson plans, which usu- same catastrophes Hank creates for himself.[2]
ally incorporate the books with cassette tapes. They are May:
Sally May Sally May is the wife of High Loper and the
available through Maverick Books (the series’ original pub- mother of Little Alfred and little Molly. She is a house-
lisher). The first six books have been translated into wife who enjoys parties and often serves as a civilizing
Spanish by the Argentine publisher Editorial Sudameri- check on her cowboy husband. She is often high-strung,
cana. Series of his books are also translated into Persian particularly in "The Case of the Killer Stud Horse" and
and are popular in Iran. "The Phantom in the Mirror", when she has company
In the mid-1980s, the first book was also adapted into coming over. Pete the Barn Cat is her favorite pet and
an animated segment for the CBS Storybreak. she is affectionate towards both him and Drover. She dis-
likes Hank, however, and frequently gets angry at him for
Characters coming into her yard, her house or fighting with Pete.
Her most common response when angered is to throw
Main article: List of Hank the Cowdog characters rocks at him. Despite this Hank often seems to think that
Sally May secretly respects him. In reality, her feelings
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hank the Cowdog
fluctuate between disgust and temporary respect as Hank ing that they both secretly like their antagonistic rela-
usually follows up his shenanigans with an act of hero- tionship.[6]
ism.[3] Slim Chance - A lazy-but-loyal cowboy and ranch
Loper:
High Loper Owner of the ranch and Hank’s master, hand that works for High Loper. It is unclear how long
High Loper is an old-fashioned cowboy who enjoys rop- Slim has worked at the ranch, but despite several com-
ing, riding and working his ranch. While Loper never ments made about wanting to move to a bigger oper-
wants to leave the ranch and is loath to go out of town, he ation, he has never quit. He does most of the work on
is far from a workaholic, settling for shoddy workman- the ranch that Loper does not want, and occasionally
ship on many of his projects and pawning the dirty work gets forced into babysitting Little Alfred, for whom he
onto his ranch hand, Slim Chance. His more anti-social has an affinity. Slim lives in a run down shack two miles
cowboy instincts have been tamed by his wife, who he from ranch headquarters, and maintains a filthy house.
loves. However, in some episodes he expresses nostalgia He frequently leaves old dishes, clothes, food, and live-
for the times when he was just a simple cowboy. In "Mur- stock magazines lying around, therefore he has bad ro-
der in the Middle Pasture" when Sally May is giving Slim dent problems which Hank must help him combat. He
a lecture on he will understand the importance of social also hates cooking, which results in him maintaining a
events when he is married, Loper mouths the words "no horrible diet and eating things that would disgust the
you won’t" behind her back. While Loper makes fun of average reader, like sardine and ketchup sandwiches.
Hank frequently and is often angry at him, he also re- Although Slim loves to play pranks on Hank and poke
lies on Hank to help with the cattle herding. In "Every fun at him, it is clear he has an affinity for both him and
Dog Has His Day" Hank saves Loper from some quicksand, Drover, frequently asking them to come along with him
proving his loyalty to his master.[4] on odd jobs.
Alfred:
Little Alfred Loper and Sally May’s oldest child. Little Wallace and Junior - Two buzzards that Hank some-
Alfred likes Hank and often participates in adventures times encounters. Wallace is an old buzzard, and Junior’s
with him. Some of these are harmless, though in "The father, and he is very harsh and mostly has negative re-
Case of the Hooking Bull" Alfred deliberately tricks Hank lationships with others. Unlike Junior, Wallace is rarely
into going into the dryer and then turning the machine kind to anyone and is constantly looking for things to eat.
on, showing he has a mischievous streak. Most of the sto- He doesn’t seem to like Hank much, but sometimes acts
ry "Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest" revolves around decently towards him. Junior, Wallace’s slow and clum-
Hank’s search for Alfred when he goes missing in the sy son, is more timid than his father and has a stuttering
woods. In this story Alfred is shown to have the ability to problem. He loves his father but often makes Wallace an-
talk to animals, although in others he does not appear to gry by being cowardly, being friendly towards other an-
have this ability. It is revealed that the older a child gets, imals (who Wallace says they should rather think about
the more their ability to understand animals diminishes. eating), and generally being bad at being a buzzard. Wal-
Hank is very protective of Alfred and frequently risks his lace also loathes Junior’s love of singing.
life to protect him, labeling it every cowdog’s duty.[5] Rip and Snort - Two coyote brothers who have a
Cat:
Pete the Barn Cat Hank’s primary antagonist on the grudge against Hank. At one point in The Original Adven-
ranch. Pete is Sally May’s favorite pet and he frequently tures of Hank the Cowdog however Hank, Rip, and Snort
uses this to his advantage in his petty clashes with Hank. became friends. However, they are enemies in every oth-
Pete is much more clever than Hank and usually manages er book. They are vicious and strong, but not very smart,
to outwit him, although Hank usually perceives the and Hank manages to escape from sticky situations in-
events differently. Many of Hank’s adventures are ini- volving them by tricking them.
tiated by an embarrassing incident where he has been Scraunch - A vicious coyote near the top of the pack’s
tricked by Pete. In "The Further Adventures of Hank the pecking order, he maintains an intense hatred of Hank.
Cowdog", Hank’s eyes go crossed after staring at a bloody He is the brother of Missy Coyote, to which Hank was
nose he received by attacking a fried egg Pete obtained once promised in marriage. He is smarter, tougher, and
that was just behind Sally May’s garden fence. In "The more grumpy than Rip and Snort.
Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob", the entire sto- Missy Coyote - A coyote who was, at one point
ry revolves around Hank’s over-protectiveness towards promised to be Hank’s mate, and thus join her family
a corncob Pete has tricked him into believing is worth a pack if Hank attacked the ranch and killed Drover. Hank
fortune. In "The Case of the Missing Cat" Hank eventual- ultimately refused to do so, showing that he is loyal to
ly loses patience with Pete and tries to strand him on the the ranch inhabitants, and loyal to Drover as a good
plains, but has a change of heart and rescues him from friend. Hank seems to share Missy’s feelings and though
the coyotes Rip and Snort. The two then lament the fact he doesn’t like coyotes it seemed that at one point he se-
that by saving Pete’s life Hank and Pete must be friends riously considered joining Missy’s pack.
and stop fighting each other. At the end of the adventure, Beulah-
Beulah Beulah is a collie who resides on a local
however, the two return to fighting over scraps, suggest- ranch, and with whom Hank is madly in love. He is con-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hank the Cowdog
stantly trying to impress her, which usually results in 12. The Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox
his making a fool of himself instead. Beulah lives on her 13. The Wounded Buzzard of Christmas Eve
ranch with her boyfriend Plato, a birddog who Hank de- 14. Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business
spises. Although she likes Hank as a friend, she does not 15. The Case of the Missing Cat
return his love, and tries to let him down easy for fear 16. Lost in the Blinded Blizzard
of hurting his feelings. Despite this, Hank continues to be 17. The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog
convinced Beulah is in love with him, and would express 18. The Case of the Hooking Bull
it if it weren’t for Plato. 19. The Case of the Midnight Rustler
Plato - Plato is a polite bird dog who likes Hank de- 20. The Phantom in the Mirror
spite Hank’s obvious disdain for him. He is in love with 21. The Case of the Vampire Cat
Beulah and seems not to notice or care that Hank is con- 22. The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting
stantly trying to court her. He also seems to be oblivious 23. Moonlight Madness
to Hank’s avarice towards him. He has only very minor 24. The Case of the Black-Hooded Hangmans
roles, except in The Case of the Missing Bird Dog and The 25. The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado
Quest for the Great White Quail, in which he got lost and 26. The Case of the Kidnapped Collie
Hank had to find him. 27. The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster
Madam Moonshine - Madam Moonshine is a witch 28. The Mopwater Files
owl who assists Hank on occasion. She has a bodyguard, 29. The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper
a rattlesnake named Timothy, who lives in the same hole 30. The Case of the Haystack Kitties
as her. When she does use her magic, it normally is very 31. The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook
odd and may not have the desired results. For example, 32. The Garbage Monster from Outer Space
in Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest, she and Hank were 33. The Case of the Measled Cowboy
tied upside-down to a tree branch, while Rip and Snort 34. Slim’s Good-bye
were planning to eat them below. She recited a spell to 35. The Case of the Saddle House Robbery
make them stop, but, because they were upside-down, it 36. The Case of the Raging Rottweiler
just made them sing their song backwards. 37. The Case of the Deadly Ha-Ha Game
Ralph - Ralph is a basset hound who lives in the local 38. The Fling
dog pound. His owner works at the pound and just puts 39. The Secret Laundry Monster Files
him in whichever kennel is currently available. He has a 40. The Case of the Missing Bird Dog
fairly uneventful life, except when his owner lets him out 41. The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree
as happens in The Fling. 42. The Case of the Burrowing Robot
Eddy the Rac - Eddy is a raccoon who occasionally 43. The Case of the Twisted Kitty
shows up and causes trouble. He was orphaned as a baby 44. The Dungeon of Doom
and Slim took care of him for a while in Moonlight Mad- 45. The Case of the Falling Sky
ness. He causes Hank to be confused every time he ap- 46. The Case of the Tricky Trap
pears, from posing as monsters/aliens to convincingly 47. The Case of the Tender Cheeping Chickies
telling Hank a variety of tall-tales. Everytime Slim puts 48. The Case of the Monkey Burglar
Eddy in a cage, Eddy convinces Hank to let him out and 49. The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup
enter the cage himself, at which point Eddy locks him in. 50. The Case of the Most Ancient Bone
Despite this, Hank continues to be fooled and does not 51. The Case of the Blazing Sky
particularly like Eddy.He has also been in other books in 52. The Quest for the Great White Quail
series. 53. Drover’s Secret Life
54. The Case of the Dinosaur Birds
List of books 55. The Case of the Secret Weapon
56. The Case of the Coyote Invasion
1. The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog 57. The Disappearance of Drover
2. The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog 58. The Case of the Mysterious Voice
3. It’s a Dog’s Life coming soon #59
4. Murder in the Middle Pasture
5. Faded Love
6. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Audio
7. 6 The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob Books 1 - 49 have cassette versions. All books have audio
8. The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse book versions.
9. The Case of the Halloween Ghost
10. Every Dog Has His Day
11. Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hank the Cowdog
Audio Only References
Some books are only on audio.
[1] http://www.hankthecowdog.com/pals/hank.htm
1. The Homeless Pooch
[2] http://www.hankthecowdog.com/pals/drover.htm
2. The Watermelon Patch Mystery
[3] http://www.hankthecowdog.com/pals/sally.htm
3. The Kitty Cheater
[4] http://www.hankthecowdog.com/pals/loper.htm
4. The Runaway Windmill
[5] http://www.hankthecowdog.com/pals/alfred.htm
5. The Cookie Moon
[6] http://www.hankthecowdog.com/pals/pete.htm
6. The Dancing Cowboy
7. The Valentine’s Day Robbery
External links
• Hank the Cowdog official website
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hank_the_Cowdog&oldid=458064045"
Categories:
• Fictional dogs
• Series of children's books
• Hank the Cowdog
• Fictional characters from Texas
• Characters in American novels
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