Table of Contents
42 of 42 stories published. More on the way.
The Beginning
Phoenix & the Road East — Before the Lab
The Voyage Home, Going East
Before there was Gunner, there was Bear. And before there was a homestead, there was a moment on a bench in an apple orchard outside Phoenix. The family loads up two vehicles and drives eleven hundred miles east into a new life.
Donkeys, Ducks, and One More Thing
The family's first summer on fifteen acres: chickens, ducks, donkeys named Mr. Snickers and Beep, and a dad keeping a quiet secret. The homestead fills up fast — but Dad thinks it could use one more thing.
East Texas Flashbacks
The Homestead Days — 15 Acres
Cow Tipping Point
Young Gunner tries to befriend the cows. The cows are not interested. Tiger watches from a fence post and narrates like a nature documentary.
The Chicken Caper
Chickens and ducks escape the coop. Gunner charges in to help and makes everything spectacularly worse. Tiger herds three chickens back without moving five feet.
Grandpa Bear's Last Stand
A warm, funny tribute to old Bear — the grumpy brown mutt who didn't like anyone in his yard. Puppy Gunner keeps trying to play with him. Kitten Tiger sleeps through the whole thing on Bear's back.
Duck, Duck, Gunner
The ducks have taken over the pond and Gunner is sent to reclaim it. He ends up swimming laps with them instead. Tiger's plan B involves a garden hose.
The Fifteen-Acre Kingdom
Tiger's origin story. How a tiny tabby kitten born on a Texas homestead decided that the big goofy black dog was, reluctantly, the best warm pillow in the world.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice
The family gets their first bee hives. Gunner is fascinated and gets way too close. Tiger watches from a safe distance as Gunner learns the hard way that bees are not his friends.
The Hive Mind
The bees have settled in and Tiger has developed a respectful distance. Gunner still hasn't learned. When one hive gets agitated, Tiger tries to warn Gunner with every cat signal he's got. Gunner interprets this as playtime.
Honey Heist
Harvest day. The smell of fresh honey fills the air. Tiger devises a plan to get a taste. Gunner just shoves his face where it doesn't belong. The boys try to help Dad extract honey while keeping both animals out of the operation. Nobody succeeds.
The Great Cookie Caper
Dad bakes a fresh batch of cookies and leaves them on the kitchen island to cool. The next morning, the plate is empty and nobody confesses. Weeks later, when the house is quiet and the cookies are fresh, Dad catches the real culprit red-handed — ninety pounds of Lab, standing on his back legs, tongue outstretched across the island. Tiger knew the whole time. Cats don't testify.
The Big Moves
Road Trip / Transition Stories
The Great Migration
The family packs up the East Texas homestead. Gunner thinks they're going to the vet. Tiger knows exactly what's happening and has opinions. A chaotic moving-day story.
Gholson Gardens
Tiger and Gunner adjust to one acre after fifteen. Tiger claims the entire garden as his territory. Gunner keeps digging up what Mom just planted. The orchard becomes their new adventure zone.
The Long Drive East
The family moves to Virginia. Tiger rides in a crate like royalty. Gunner has his head out the window for 800 miles. Told from both perspectives.
New Territory
First day on 40 acres in Virginia. Gunner marks every single tree (it takes a while). Tiger finds the highest point on the property and declares himself lord of the mountain.
The Invisible Fence
The family buys an electric fence. Gunner gets his first zap and won't go outside for days. Tiger strolls in and out freely with maximum smugness.
The Week Aunt LaDon Got Snowed In
Aunt LaDon comes to Texas to help her brother's family through a hard week and gets snowed in by one of the worst winter storms in a hundred years. Gunner adopts her on sight, appoints himself Head of Food Security, and turns out to be the only one in the house who can't read a room and loves everyone in it anyway. Tiger, watching from the top of the refrigerator, takes exactly four days to run the numbers and claim a spot on her lap.
The Virginia Homestead
Current Setting — 40 Acres
The Great Acorn Heist
Tiger devises a plan to raid the squirrels' acorn stash. Gunner's job: be the distraction. Gunner gets distracted by the distraction.
40 Acres of Trouble
Gunner discovers a mysterious trail into the hundred acres of woods next door. Tiger reluctantly follows to keep him alive. They find something unexpected.
The Night Shift
Strange sounds from the woods at night. Tiger investigates with cool composure from the windowsill. Gunner barks at his own reflection. Turns out it's just opossums having a party.
Mountain Dog, Valley Cat
The first Virginia winter hits hard. Gunner is thrilled (snow!). Tiger is horrified (snow.). Two very different approaches to the same cold day.
The Porch Bandit
Something keeps stealing food off the porch. Tiger sets traps. Gunner eats the bait. Every. Single. Time. The actual culprit — a raccoon — watches from the treeline, entertained.
The Grill Master's First Case
The youngest boy earns his first official night as Grill Master — five perfect T-bone steaks, cooked to perfection. He ducks inside for fifteen seconds to grab foil. He comes back to an empty plate. Gunner is lying six feet away, pretending to be a rug. Five steaks. No evidence. No remorse. Dad declares it the highest possible culinary review a dog can give.
The Bagel Bandit
Mom comes home with store-bought bagels — a rare household event. The middle boy sets the bag down on the porch steps for one second to shift his load. Gunner, who has been lying in the grass looking like he wasn't paying attention, covers the distance in two bounds and makes a run for the woods — until the oldest boy steps out of the woodshop and delivers a voice that stops a ninety-pound Lab dead in his tracks. The bagels are unharmed. Gunner's dignity is not. And on top of the fridge, Tiger takes note.
Shotgun
The oldest gets his learner's permit and Dad climbs into the passenger seat for the first time in nine years with one beautiful thought: I never have to drive again. But Gunner has been the shotgun dog for nine years across three states, and he is not giving up that seat without a fight. Tiger, who hasn't voluntarily entered a vehicle in nine years, clears his schedule to watch.
The Gentlemen Next Door
Something large has moved into the neighbors' field — three enormous Suffolk Punch draft horses with kind eyes and a warm rolling dialect Gunner can't understand a word of. Tiger, naturally, has already been over there twice and made friends. A story about meeting gentle giants and learning that sometimes the nicest things you'll ever hear are the things you don't quite understand.
The Silent But Deadly Mystery
A truck ride to visit friends on another farm turns into an afternoon-long mystery, a deeply wronged local feed lot, and a lot of frantically rolled-down windows. Something keeps rolling silently through the cab, and everyone gets blamed except the one dog sleeping soundly in the back seat. By the time the truth comes out, there isn't a window left rolled up — and Gunner has never been prouder of himself.
The Boys & Family
The Boys & Family Stories
Ben's Big Idea
The youngest boy has a plan involving Gunner, a wagon, a hill, and zero adult supervision. Tiger sees it coming and tries to warn everyone by sitting directly in the path and glaring.
The Woodshop Apprentice
The oldest boy is building something in the shop. Gunner 'helps' by laying on every tool. Tiger keeps batting screws off the workbench. The project gets done despite them.
Mom's Day Off
Mom tries to have a quiet morning. Tiger demands milk. Gunner demands pets. The boys need approximately forty-seven things. Gunner and Tiger accidentally team up to give her five minutes of peace — then immediately ruin it.
Dad's Cloud
The boys ask Dad what he does for work. Dad tries to explain cloud architecture. Gunner thinks they're talking about actual clouds. Tiger looks out the window at the sky, deeply unimpressed.
The Dreamer's Map
The middle boy draws an elaborate treasure map of the property. Gunner and Tiger follow it. It leads to the middle boy's secret fort in the woods.
Seasonal & Holiday
Holiday Stories
The Christmas Ham Incident
Tiger devises his most ambitious plan yet: steal Christmas dinner. Gunner is recruited as muscle. The family catches them mid-heist. Gunner's face says sorry. Tiger's face shows zero remorse.
The Fourth of July
Fireworks terrify Gunner. Tiger couldn't care less. A story about Tiger actually comforting Gunner, curling up beside him, even though he'd never admit it.
The First Snow
Based on real events and real photos. Gunner sits in the snow like a majestic statue. Tiger steps in it once, shakes his paw in disgust, and goes back inside. Then comes back out because Gunner won't come in.
The Garden Heist of Spring
Something is eating Mom's seedlings. Gunner is accused. Tiger is accused. It's actually deer, but Tiger frames Gunner anyway.
Adventure Stories
Adventure Stories
Operation: Mailman
Tiger becomes convinced the mailman is a spy. He recruits Gunner for a stakeout. Gunner loves the mailman. This creates significant operational conflict.
The Creature in the Creek
Gunner finds something weird in the creek on the property. Tiger analyzes it from a safe distance. It's a snapping turtle. Nobody wins.
When Gunner Met the Bear
A real black bear wanders onto the Virginia property. Gunner thinks it's a big dog. Tiger knows better. Tiger saves the day through sheer strategic brilliance and a well-timed hiss from high ground.
Heart Stories
Heart Stories
The One About Grandpa
A quieter, warmer story. Gunner remembers Dad's dad — the man who always had treats and a slow hand for petting. Tiger watched from across the room. A tribute told through the animals' eyes.
Why Tiger Stayed
All the other cats came and went. Tiger survived the country, the moves, the dogs, the coyotes, all of it. This is the story of why — and it has everything to do with a big, dumb, warm black dog who never once chased him.
The Long Walk Home
Bear's eyes go cloudy. His hearing fades. The world gets quieter and blurrier, but the grumpy old alpha is too proud to ask for help. So Gunner gives it without being asked — walking beside Bear on hikes, guiding him back when he wanders. A story about showing up, staying close, and the quiet love between two dogs who never quite understood each other but never left each other's side.