Season 18

October 21, 1971

The boys and Lassie sleep in an old barn that appears to be haunted.

November 4, 1971

Ron and Dale return to the Holden Ranch, where Lassie is welcomed by Garth Holden and his foster sons, boys who have been orphaned or abandoned by their families.

November 11, 1971

Mike, the new boy, begins works at the local animal clinic and developes a crush on the veterinarian,he's also feeling shy until he helps nurse an injured owl back to health.

November 18, 1971

While in town picking up a gift for Garth, Ron is knocked unconscious when an earthquake strikes, and when he comes to, Lassie has escaped from the truck. As he and the dog search for each other, Lassie helps fellow animals dislocated by the quake, and Ron enlists his father in the search.

November 25, 1971

Ron and Lassie return home from a trip to find Mike has adopted a raccoon from the wild animal park--and ""Rags"" is immediately jealous of Lassie. Soon dog and raccoon are embroiled in a feud, endangering both of them on a house construction site.

December 2, 1971

Mike befriends Henry Newton, who flies a Curtis Pusher at airshows under the name ""The Flying Grandpa,"" when his aircraft breaks down in the Holden pasture. His long involved tall tales of bravery during air feats impress the boy, but bother Garth, who thinks Newton's lies might backfire. And when a bear charges Newton and Mike, the elderly man finds out they do.

December 9, 1971

Garth and Dale survey rangeland for the Forest Service and see a young white stallion challenging the older black leader of a horse herd; Garth predicts the white horse will soon succeed. When he does, driving the injured black stallion away from water, Lassie tries to lead him to safety before he collapses.

December 16, 1971

As Lassie gently leads the stallion back to the Holden Ranch, Garth and Dale leave food and drink for the animal, hoping he will choose himself to live at the ranch.

January 13, 1972

Ron and Dale, home from college, go out on the annual stray roundup and make a bet on which of them will find the most cattle. But it's Lassie who gets the jump on them, helps a calf stuck in quicksand, and then must help Ron when he's thrown from his horse.

January 20, 1972

Ron and Dale, spending two days camping at Pine Lake before returning to college, pick up a boy that Dale can tell is ""on the run."" Sure enough, once he leaves them he builds a campsite in the woods. When the boys find his camp in the woods, he steals one of the motorcycles they've rented.

January 28, 1972

Garth takes Lassie with him on his visit to Vandenberg Air Force Base, where they meet Jimmy Fredericks, a boy with a weakened leg who has given up believing he will ever walk normally.

February 4, 1972

Lassie protects a snow goose who has chosen to lay her eggs on the flightline.

February 11, 1972

Lassie befriends a diabetic poodle named Sparky who stows away on the Looking Glass, where there's no insulin, to be with his owner.

February 18, 1972

Jimmy finds out that his father's flight may crash and must re-examine his faith.

February 25, 1972

Hoping to help his self-esteem, Garth takes Jimmy back to the ranch with him. There the uncertain boy meets Lucy Baker, a girl who's been deaf most of her life, and her pet wolf Mountie. But while Jimmy and Lucy get to know each other, Mountie, playing with Lassie, is shot by a shepherd who doesn't know he's a pet.

March 3, 1972

After Lucy and Jimmy find Mountie in the cave where Lassie has hidden him, Lucy sends Jimmy for help on her horse. He is frightened to do so, but does so for her sake, and despite being thrown, finds Domenic, the shepherd who shot Mounty. Meanwhile, Lassie returns to the ranch.

March 10, 1972

When Mountie weakens and then dies, even normally optimistic Lucy cannot understand and sinks into depression, so Sue asks her to help out at the wild animal park to take her mind off her loss. Eventually Lucy begins taking an interest in the animals, including a llama about to give birth.