Dog Days of Summer, What Does it Really Mean?

What does the term “Dog Days” actually mean?

We all know the modern definition of hot, humid sultry days in August. Days so hot efforts seem to be at a minimum just to conserve energy. To some it is too hot to work, so why not go on vacation.

Seems to work for Europeans. (Try to get service in Paris during August.)

Back to the definition. Turns out National Geographic was just as curious about this term. They wrote:

Many people today use the phrase to mean something like that—but originally, the phrase actually had nothing to do with dogs, or even with the lazy days of summer. Instead, it turns out, the dog days refer to the dog star, Sirius, and its position in the heavens.

To the Greeks and Romans, the “dog days” occurred around the day when Sirius appeared to rise just before the sun, in late July. They referred to these days as the hottest time of the year, a period that could bring fever, or even catastrophe.

The phrase “dog days” was translated from Latin to English about 500 years ago. Since then, it has taken on new meanings.

So, did the Greeks get it right? Are the dog days, around when Sirius rises, really the hottest days of the year?

Well, no.

Although July and August are generally known as the hottest months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the hottest period can vary from year to year. And depending on your latitude, the astronomical dog days can come at different times.

In Athens, for instance, Sirius will rise around the middle of August this year. But farther south, it’ll happen earlier in the year; farther north, it’ll happen later.

There’s another reason that the dog days don’t correspond neatly with the heat: the stars in Earth’s night sky shift independently of our calendar seasons.

This means that the dog days of ancient Greece aren’t the dog days of today. What it also means is that several millennia from now, this astrological event won’t even occur during the summer.

So. It sounds like we can call them the dog days for any reason we want to.

Maybe we can call them dog days because these are the final days of this summer, and like a dog, we should enjoy them in a carefree manner:

Enjoy each day.

Go crazy over every person you meet.

Learn a new trick-and show it off.

Greet people you see everyday like you haven’t seen them in years.

Play with your best friend.

Go exploring.

Act as if the food you’re eating is the best food you’ll ever have.

Take in those belly rubs.

Know the answer to “Who’s a good dog?!”

Chase a ball, bring it back and insist they throw it—just don’t give it to them right away for some reason.

Drink in the summer by the bowlful

Be thankful

Give paw.

Run as hard as you can—even if limited.

Be thrilled to go somewhere in the car

Support those who enjoy the chase

Be so excited about life you cannot help but jump up and down.

Live in the moment and own these dog days.
Miracle Stretch