In the morning, we need to contain the sheep, to keep them from plowing into me or Maria as we carry hay out, to keep them from riling up the donkeys at their feeder and touching off a brief riot.

This morning, I looked up towards the feeder in the snow, and I saw all three dogs in a line. Red was focused on keeping the sheep still,  Bud was backing Red up, as he has been doing lately, and Fate was watching Red, waiting for the mysterious signal to start running in circles around the sheep.

This was a formidable line-up, the sheep were going nowhere. I was delighted and impressed. It’s hard for me to grasp how well Bud has fit into our world, how much he seems to love his life her, how attached he is to Fate and Red, and of course, to me and Maria.

I quite often get messages from the righteous soldiers who patrol the Internet looking for evildoers, they scold me for calling Bud a farm dog and letting him outside in the winter without a sweater or booties.

Bud is a farm dog through and through in the morning, he sneaks under the gate and greets the donkeys, then barks at the sheep, then nibbles on some animal droppings, then runs in wide circles around the pasture to get some exercise, then practices commands with me, then takes up position with Red.

Only once did I see him shiver, and that was when there was ice on the ground, and it was windy and well below zero. We let him right in the house.

Otherwise, he stays out with the border collies, if he gets chilly, he goes to the back door to be let in. We haven’t used the sweater yet, but we will at the first shiver or sign of discomfort.

I wouldn’t suggest that anyone make the mistake of thinking that a small dog like this can withstand unlimited cold or ice the way a border collie or German Shepherd or Aussie could.

The terriers have short snouts, and that means the cold air doesn’t get to warm up the way it does on long snout dogs, it goes right into the lungs and chills the dog from the inside.

Red and Fate are built for cold weather, they can sit out in the snow and wind forever. So can many of the long-snout, heavy coated dogs.

Boston Terriers have short coats and very little body fat, the cold can go right through them. Still, many are hardy and active, they love to come along and be part of things.

This doesn’t mean they are fragile furbabies who must never be allowed to explore the world in any but perfect weather.

Bud is definitely a farm dog, through and through, he loves everything about the farm, he always wants to go out, but we watch him carefully, and at the first sign of discomfort, he goes inside or we will put a sweater on him. So far, no sign we need to do that, but the worst of winter is ahead of us.

This morning, Bud sat out in the snow with Red for nearly a half-hour, and then I called him out and put him in the house. He went right to the fire with a treat, lay down and then took a nap.

We do and will keep a close eye on him.

What I wand for Bud is the same thing I wanted for Gus. I know he’s a small dog, but he isn’t made of crystal, I want to see  him a dog, period.

That doesn’t mean abandoning him to the elements, it means avoiding the kind of labeling we do with other humans and limiting his exploration, decision-making, and love of the world.