Dog Day Afternoon

“It’s a dog day afternoon!”

What’s a “dog day”? Do these events always take place in the afternoon?

I must have started asking myself these questions during the sweltering summer months, when the oppressive southern heat makes everyone want to hide inside. Curious sayings like this always catch my ear these days, and dogs are a huge part of my life.

Incidentally, just as dog-related sayings pop into our speech patterns, I’ll be dropping in some photos of my various canine furbabies over the years. Hopefully these visuals help you understand why dogs are often on my mind.

Here’s a great photo of Tiamat, my first love, creeping out from under the covers. This was about 20 years ago.

The term dog days traces back to the ancient Romans. They observed that Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before the sun during the hottest months of the year, and it was (and is) the brightest star in the sky.

It wasn’t just hot, but it was believed to be a time that brought fever, disaster, and heated lethargy.

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