How Hank the Cowdog Made John R. Erickson the King of the Canine Canon Texas Monthly
Out on the range, rattlesnakes don t bother John R. Erickson much. They re a part of life on the M-Cross Ranch, Erickson s home and working cattle operation, in the rough country of the northeastern Texas Panhandle. But the rattler under the porch of his writing cabin is a different story.
They re good at killing mice, he mutters, grabbing his Ruger .22 pistol. But they re also good at killing cowdogs.
Erickson knows from experience: a few years ago, he lost a pup named Bones to a snakebite. He doesn t intend to let that happen again. Which is why, one morning in July, the 77-year-old writer lowers himself onto his belly until he is eye level with an unhappy coontail rattlesnake.
I liked Texas the one time I’ve been there, except it’s just so miserably hot and humid.