Five Stories of Christmas Pets
As we all know the holidays are a time to spent with family and loved ones. But for many of us our nearest and dearest travel on four legs. So in the spirit of Yuletide cheer consider one of the following books about our furry friends.
The Cat Who Came For Christmas (1987) By Cleveland Amory. T’was the night before Christmas when Cleveland Amory rescued a feral stray from an alley and took it home. Author Cleveland Amory was an experienced journalist and celebrated animal rights activist who founded the Fund for Animals. He was however, by his own admission more a dog person than a cat lover. All that changed with the arrival of the scraggly, white stray kitty who he named ‘Polar Bear’ and who quickly took firm command of the household. This delightful and witty book was the first of a trilogy about self-confessed, curmudgeon Amory’s adventures with the Big White Cat.
The Cat Who Tailed a Thief (1997) By Lillian Jackson Braun. The 19th volume in Braun’s beloved Cat Who mystery series starring Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum, takes place over the holidays. The quiet town of Pickax finds their Christmas season plagued by a series of petty thefts. New on the scene is wealthy banker Willard Carmichael and his ostentatious wife Danielle. But when Willard turns up dead and when another murder soon follows, Qwilleran and his feline assistants get to work.
The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog (2006) By Dave Barry. It’s 1960, and St. John’s Episcopal Church has big plans for its Christmas pageant. Young Doug is to his gratification cast as a Shepherd which means he can carry a stick. Unfortunately his crush object is playing Mary against a Joseph who’s a formidable romantic rival. The family dog is ailing and they don’t know how to tell Doug’s little sister Becky. Finally dad gets a flat tire and they might never reach the pageant at all. Surely it will take a Christmas miracle to save the day.
Santa Clawed (2008) By Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. Famed mystery novel co-authors Rita Mae Brown and her beloved tabby Sneaky Pie Brown offer up a ghastly murder for the holidays. When Harry and her husband Fair go to fetch a tree from a Christmas Tree farm, run by a charitable organization for AIDS patients, their preferred spruce is found adorned with a corpse. Harry, her detective cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and boisterous corgi Tee Tucker must nab the perp hiding among the citizens of small town Crozet before Christmas is ruined!
The Dogs of Christmas (2013) by W. Bruce Cameron. From the New York Times Best Selling Author of A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog’s Journey. Josh Michaels ire is drawn when a neighbor dumps a pregnant dog Lucy at his door. He calls upon the local animal shelter for guidance and meets Kerri who teaches him how to care for Lucy’s newborns while readying them for adoption through the shelters ‘Dogs for Christmas” program. However, matters are complicated by Josh falling in love with Kerri and his new canine family!
