Dear Heloise: One of the most essential things to provide for a dog that is tied up is shade in the hot summer months.

Why should an animal suffer while we sit in our air-conditioned homes with windows and doors closed tightly to keep the hot air out?

If your pet is now in a fenced-in area that has no shade, position the doghouse so the animal can get to all four sides, and follow the shade around.

The next-best thing you can do is to plant a tree. Remember to see where it provides the shade at the hottest part of the day.

Also, keep a huge bucket of water within reach. Dogs can only keep cool by panting and they need to replace lost fluid.

How you treat your pet is the example you are setting for your children. It could be a continuous lesson in compassion and consideration toward all living things, or it could teach them indifference toward God’s creatures of all sorts. - B.K., Cortland, Ohio

If it is absolutely necessary to tether a dog, there should be a long-enough run for exercise and, like you said, plenty of shade and water. - Heloise