The Dog Days of Summer: Less About Hot Dogs and More About Astronomy

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Do dogs get lazier in the heat of summer. Source: (fineartamerica.com)

When the heat of July hits like a blanket fresh from the dryer, the old-timers like to say that we are in the dog days of summer. If you are like most people, this conjures up images of lazy dogs—for some reason, it is a Bassett Hound in my vision—reclined on the front porch, panting away the heat. While it may be true that some dogs are less active in the oppressing heat, that's not how the phrase "dog days of summer" started. To find the origins of the phrase, we have to look not to the front porch but into the night sky.