I think you handled it well, especially since you had a known good backstop. The only thing I may have done differently is only firing one warning shot so as not to leave yourself handicapped if the dogs hadn't run.
Everyone can sit here and say what they want but here's how it would break down if it had happened differently.
You have a CCW, see the dogs charging, do nothing and you or your kids are seriously injured or worse. You get criticized.
You have a CCW, see the dogs charging, decide to skip the warning shot and drop one or both of the dogs. You get criticized.
You have a CCW, see the dogs charging, yell and luckily they go away. It'd be nice if we knew ahead of time that would work 100% of the time, wouldn't it? Sorry folks, it's an imperfect world, we don't. You
still might get criticized.
Considering that everyone including the dogs went home and had a happy 4th I'd say your actions brought about the best outcome this situation could have possibly had. Good job.
On a side note, idk about others here but it is really difficult for me to read dogs sometimes. I was out for a run on campus one day a few months ago and this guy was walking with his girlfriend and his unleashed dog of a breed that has a rep for not always being very nice. The dog sees me from about 50-75yds and makes a beeline for me at a full blown sprint. I stop, pull the iPod out and get in a squared stance with my arms cocked about waist high, thinking I'd sling her aside when she jumped. When she got to me all she want to do was get petted... the guy apologized, leashed her (the dog
), and we all went happily about our day. Just goes to show, you never can tell.