I don't know whether to be angry, sad, or just grateful for my own dogs' little lives

I love our 4 miniature schnauzers so much. I'm not prepared for that inevitable day when they're no longer here. They're just so sweet, and smart, and such a huge part of our family. I couldn't bear it if I did something to accidentally jeopardize their well-being.

A friend of ours lost her dog today. Angela called me as she was heading home from work and said her "heart hurt," which is her way of saying she got some disturbing news. One of her co-workers left her dog out in the backyard today, and when her boyfriend got home the dog was dead. The temperature reached the mid 100's today, and the only shade in the backyard was a little section along the fence. There was a doghouse back there too, but couldn't have been much cooler.

For the love of God, please bring the animals inside. I feel terrible for our friend. What a tough thing to deal with.

I laugh at our dog Sophie sometimes because she's such a diva. She just recently started becoming even more diva-like. If the water has been sitting in the dish in the master bathroom too long and there's only a shallow bit left, she'll sniff it, walk away, and look at me. So I rinse it out, fill it up, and put it back down, and she drinks out of it immediately. If she decides the water in the kitchen has been sitting there too long, she'll sniff it, walk away, and look at me. So I rinse it out, fill it up again, call her a silly goose, and set it back down, and she drinks out of it immediately. This routine could get old in a hurry with the water restrictions and all, but what happened today with our friend's dog sort of put everything in perspective. Whatever you need, Sophie. Silly goose.