Hello from the Nevada desert. We use to go to AZ every year and I loved it there. I liked the Tucson area but also some of the small areas around Tombstone. Lot’s of history there. My dogs are both rescue dogs too. My big dog Chance had been thrown out with a burned tail and Parvo. I got him when I lived in VA Beach. It took me from Sept to about Feb to get him in any kind of shape. He was 4 months old and weighed 12lbs. He was nothing but skin and bone. He came thru it pretty good and he turned out to be a beautiful dog. He is big. Lab and Great Dane. He has a white chest and I say he is wearing a Tux! He is 9 now and has had a very bad time with arthritis but he has come thru it and is up and walking and enjoying life, just not as swiftly as he once did. But he is a love and I would do just about anything to make my dogs comfortable. My other dog Midnight developed Diabetes and I give her insulin twice a day and get her glucose checked regularly to keep her insulin at a proper dosage. I am a desert rat too but only since 1998 when we moved here to the east of Las Vegas. I love it except for July and Aug! But it must get even hotter in AZ. How do your pets do in the heat?