The Dog Days of Summer

Why do people call the hottest days of the year the "Dog Days" of Summer? It makes me think of an old hound dog lying on the porch because it's too hot to move ~ but that's not it!  The ancient Egyptians and Romans noticed that during July and August, the "Dog Star" Sirius rose and set with the Sun. They believed that Sirius was adding its heat to that of the Sun, making the Earth hotter and drier than usual.

In the Northern Hemisphere our "dog days" are from about the second week of July to the third week in August. For centuries these could be difficult times, when the heat was stifling and insect and diseases would flourish in the heat. People who could afford it would vacate the cities and go "take the sea air."  Nowadays, this time of year just makes us feel lazy and runs up our air conditioning bills.

I have a large selection of dog images on my Vintage Animals CD. There are cute Victorian dog pictures as well as beautiful antique prints of many dog breeds.  In our our Cafepress shop many of them are available on t-shirts and gifts. Find your favorite ~ or email me to make a request! Of course we also have plenty of kitties for the cat lovers like me.