When Hank the Cowdog gets himself trapped into a ride to Twichell, he meets up with Dogpound Ralph (It's a Dog's Life, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, The Case of the Car-barkaholic Dog, and The Case of the Night-stalking Bone Monster). Ralph likes to go on a fling now and then. He invites Hank to join him, which is why this book is The Fling. The two dogs sing 'The Fling Song,' a sprightly little piece. The verses are sung to 'She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain [When She Comes]', while the chorus reminds me of singer Stonewall Jackson's 1959 'Waterloo'.

During the fling, Hank runs afoul of a big, black Labrador retriever named Atilla. Will Hank's mouth save him or get him hurt?

Is what Ralph tells Hank true? Was he bullied by Buster and Muggs while Hank was dealing with Atilla?

On the way home, Hank runs into buzzards Wallace and Junior while trying to escape some coyotes (one of them sounds like Snort but isn't named). There are many other buzzards roosting in the same tree as Wallace and Junior. Their 'Buzzard Chant,' which turns into a round, is quite pretty. It sounds like a hymn.

As usual, it's a funny story, and well worth a listen.

In this book we learn that Dogpound Ralph's master, Jimmy Joe Dogcatcher, is also the mayor of Twichell. No wonder Ralph can get away with his flings. ( )

Book 38 of 77 ( )