How to Survive the Dog Days of Summer Like a Dog

The Dog Days of Summer. A.k.a those sweltering days where you decide to live like your dog by laying down most of the day and getting up only when absolutely necessary. Those days when everything seems to move slowly, your vision is clouded by heat hazes, and ice cream sounds like the only acceptable meal.

Farmer’s Almanac defines the dog days of summer as typically being the hottest point of summer–between July 3 and August 11. And no, the name doesn’t actually come from the behavior of dogs.

Where Does the Term “Dog Days of Summer” Come From?

The term “dog days of summer,” has much more ancient roots than your four-legged friend’s summertime habits. In fact, it actually has an astronomical background. During this season, the star Sirius, also known as “the dog star” rises and sets in conjunction with the sun. During this time Sirius is an incredibly bright star, and ancient Romans even thought the extra brightness was the reason for the increase in daily temperatures.

Though we now know that the tilt of the Earth causes the warm weather rather than light from the ‘dog star,’ the name, “the dog days of summer,” has still stuck.

That said, just because this season wasn’t actually named after your pet, it doesn’t mean we can’t take some advice from them during these hot days in order to avoid any heat-related illnesses. So, when the weather is hot, act like your dog does: