Some dogs and cats love the cold weather. My dog Bourbon, a Catahoula Aussie mix with a heavy double coat, dashes outside like a kid, cutting to the front of the lunch line when the temperatures drop below fifty.

It was 2018 when my husband and I moved into our house and received the most unexpected housewarming gift. Hearing a short, chirpy meow, I stopped what I was doing and saw a tiny black cat in the backyard. I learned that Sophia had lived in the woods behind our house long before we did. It was only fitting she stayed at her home.

With four dogs and three cats demanding around-the-clock attention, it’s easy to overlook the one that needs you the most. The silent one suffers while the rest of the crew, nuzzling for affection, stays at your feet. That is often the case with our dog Bourbon, a Catahoula Australian shepherd mix passed onto my husband and me as a puppy.

Tonight we’ll come home and give the furry kids their gifts. Nope, I didn’t put up a tree. Malibu and the cats would wreck it. The dogs have Christmas stockings with paw prints. The cats don’t give a hoot.