Outside Reading
“It’s me again, Hank the Cowdog. I just got some terrible news. There’s been a murder on the ranch. I know I shouldn’t blame myself. I mean, a dog is only a dog. He can’t be everywhere at once. When I took this job as Head of Ranch Security, I knew that I was only flesh and blood, four legs, a tail, a couple of ears, a pretty nice kind of nose that the women really go for, two bushels of hair and another half- bushel of Mexican sandburs.” Erickson, 1
“But what the heck? You can’t be safe and cautious all the time. If you’re too timid in this life, you’ll miss out on all the fun and adventure.” Erickson, p.34
“Funny, how good it felt walking away from everything- the job, the responsibility, the constant worry. When I crossed the road there by the mailbox, I felt free for the first time in years.” Erickson, 59
It’d been a long time since I’d even given a thought to Hank the Cowdog. Now, I never read these books but I do remember that my brother read them. See, these really are books for young boys. Back when I was growing up girls were into books like The Babysitters Club, and other books of that nature….So I guess, I wouldn’t have read these books… I don’t know that for sure but I could be right for all I know.
What I do know is that I liked the book, and the main character, Hank.
He is a good dog who takes his role, as Head of Ranch Security very seriously. It’s kind of like how a CEO takes his/her job seriously. I like that. It’s not often we read books where dogs are portrayed as anything more than pets. When they do take on a human like role, they are different; they are not portrayed as mature fully developed adults. It’s kind of refreshing in a sense, but it’s also refreshing that he still acts like a dog. For instance, in chapter 4 Hank and Drover jump into the back of Loper’s, their owner, truck after he tells them not too. When they get into town they both see another dog, his name is Bruno, in the truck next to them and taunt him by urinating on the truck… This is what I imagine that a dog would do.
However, I didn’t imagine that Hank would abandon his post/position. But, I kind of like it when I’m reading and taken by surprise. I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t like a story to be predictable. If I can predict the ending of the story and know what will happen the story will lose my interest… It was neat reading about how Hank went to live as an outlaw and moreover that he ended up living with coyotes. That’s just not what I expected to happen, therefore, the story kept my interest.
Lastly, I liked the ending. As much as I liked that he was living with coyotes, I was happier that Hank made it back home. In a sense, his little journey was kind of like Irene’s journey. Her thread took her on an adventure and eventually, it led her back home and to her great-great grandmother. I’m sure that she would have liked it the thread led straight back to her great-great grandmother but the story wouldn’t have been as interesting and she wouldn’t have learned as much. I think that Hank grew because he went on a journey of his own. He grew into a more mature dog, and learned that sometimes you need adventure. He took himself too seriously in the beginning. He was better off after having stepped away for awhile.
That about wraps it up for now. I’m spent and tired… Gotta run.
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