At the start of every month I consult lists scattered across the web to compile what I call my daily/weekly/monthly celebrations list. (Now you know why I’ve been writing about things like American Eagle Day, Adopt-a-Shelter Cat Month, and National Dog Bite Prevention Week.)
Well, today starts what’s known as the Dog Days of Summer. Ever heard that expression? Ever wonder how it came to be called that? Me too. So I did a little more web-surfing to come up with the following:
• The Dog Days of Summer refer to the warmest days of the season –and the “season” has varying measurements. Some place a six week limit on it, starting July 3 and ending August 11. Others are more obscure and claim it lasts from early July to early September, depending on the region.
• The concept of the Dog Days of Summer originates not with dogs or how they act but via astrology, in particular one constellation: Canis Major (a.k.a. the big dog).
• Sirius (a.k.a. the dog star), the brightest star in Canis Major, is also the brightest of the night sky stars –except during summer when it follows the sun and rises and sets at the same time.
• Our early ancestors who kept watch on this trend also noticed it seemed to coincide with the hottest days of the year and so named the time “dog days.”
Huh. Interesting. I always assumed it had something to do with the way dogs acted in the heat. Murph slows down for sure, and is more content to sunbake on the lawn instead of having me play tugga-tugga or chase. (Yes, I meant to write “sunbake” instead of sunbathe. When he’s finally done sprawling on the grass during our afternoon intermissions outside, his fur feels so hot it makes me think he must be baking underneath it all. But he loves his afternoon sun worshipping sessions so… What’s a pet mom to do except humor him and have a nice cool bowl of water waiting when he’s done?)
Who knew the Dog Days of Summer had nothing to do with dog behavior, but rather the “disappearance” of the brightest star in a group of stars whose dots when connected resemble a dog? I didn’t…until now. It’s all about Sirius seeking shade and respite from a glaring sun like any dog would. (Well, any normal dog, that is. Not like my Murph, the sunbaker.)
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