Good story.  Love Adam with a dog.

A good story, Adamant!

I really enjoy reading about an authoritative young Adam which was certainly the case here.  I loved the way he took charge once he realized Ben needed help.  Joe was much less sure of himself at a younger age, and Hoss was still happy to depend on his older brother's judgement.  Ben was not at all happy about needing help from anyone.  It works.   

Also - I'm sure my eyes widened when I noted the mule deer in your story.  Deer and injured shoulders...  :)  It's so interesting that we both thought about those things while  composing a story.  Both must be sure a sure sign of winter. 

I've often wondered why the Ponderosa did not have a dog around more often.  A pet would have been a good fit for the Cartwrights - even a working dog like Finn. 

Nicely done.        

Trust Adam to figure everything out. 

I really enjoyed this story. It fits with the canon, and certainly could happen. Plus, the writing is excellent. 

I don't like Hop Sing's pidgin English, but that's a personal issue. Certainly it's how he spoke in the series, and his reactions are true to that character. 

Well done - as usual, Adamant. You take care with your writing, and it shows. 

Once I started reading this story, there is no stopping.  The action and description of the landscape and animals kept me engaged.   Hoss is panicked, and Joe, well, he has a lot of growing up to do.  But Ben?  No excuse whatsoever.    Resourceful Adam comes to the rescue.  Without giving anything away, the hound dog is a wonderful, colorful counterpoint to the guys.  Well done!

Enjoyed it.  This would be a great one to extend.  Always love the brothers younger - and grouchy younger Ben! 

Hmm, I was supposed to click on a story then go tell Jan the outcome but, I got to reading and that was it.  Don't fret, I now just told Jan all OK.

Grand winter tale.  Conditions for animal & human of the icy, freezing conditions made me glad I was sat infront of a blazing fire.  The six characters are completely recognisable - i've including Finn in this figure for you've given the canine Cartwright traits and I've made the hound an honorary family member. 

We have some snow out here today. So it's the perfect day to read this cute story. The contributors are aptly characterized: Hop Sing with his excitement; Ben refusing to admit weakness; Little Joe with his fear and insecurity; Hoss as a man of action, unfortunately sometimes unsuccessful. And then Adam comes and with just a few words and actions brings everything back into balance.

I think it's an interesting idea to put a loyal dog by Adam's side. I like the comparison he draws between himself and the dog.

The story was an extremely pleasant pastime. Thanks for that, Adamant!

"A Good Dog" transports the reader to a realistic Ponderosa in winter. The few episodes shown taking place in a northern Nevada winter never fully stressed the difficulties of travel and distance, or the fear that came with those two problems.

Hoss is wonderful in this story, a sort of lesson under fire tale. Joe is, well, Joe - eager to do the right thing, but always easily distracted by his surroundings. Adam is, as always, sensible, with a touch of fear or concern lingering in the background of his dialogue and actions. 

Hop Sing and Ben play a smaller role in this story, and they are both written believably.

Thank you, Adamant, for contributing a winter story to our library. Well done.