I'm glad they're making another one.
My kids love this series of movies....my 9 year old son - you should have seen the smile on his face when he heart they were making "Snow Buddies". Air Buddies was his favorite DVD for the past year since it came out!
Regarding the death of the puppy from the last movie - the treatment of animals is GREATLY regulated in the movie industry, and I don't anticipate that there is any intentional harm to these dogs. An 8-month puppy is NOT fragile by any means, especially large breed puppies.