Blogging this week on MarthaStewart.com, Martha Stewart-dot-commiserate wrote about the passing of Kublai Khan Paw Paw Chow Chow Chow, her big brown fluffy dog, who died at the age of 13. Except if you've been paying attention, this isn't the only sad dog story of late. Last fall, Ellen DeGeneres devoted an inordinate amount of time to Iggy, an adopted pooch she gave away only to see repossessed by the rescue agency. And then last month, Oprah announced the death her cocker spaniel, Sophie, also 13.

Does Martha's sad dog tale complete the three's-a-trend cycle, or does Ellen's sob story not actually count, because her pup didn't pass? And what does that mean for the animals of Dr. Phil and Tyra Banks?!?!