No one was prepared for the Northwest heat wave — especially not the animals

As temperatures climbed into the upper 90s on Friday, I watched a neighborhood group on Facebook flood with posts from people frantically looking for air conditioners. One man, giving up the search, asked whether anyone with a cool home could take his 150-pound bull mastiff for the weekend. Neighbors posted when hardware stores got shipments of 10 or 50 air conditioners. Each time, the units sold out in hours. People put booties on their dogs to keep the scorching asphalt from burning their paws. Local outdoor pools all closed, because it was too hot for lifeguards to work or for guests to spend much time out of the water.