What are dog days, and why are they called that?

Late summer is often called the “dog days,” but why is that? And what are dog days?

Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with canines, to begin with.

Instead you have to look up at the nighttime sky and through the history books to find the answer, and it helps to know a little Latin and knowledge of Ancient Greek culture.

From roughly early July to mid-September a star called Sirius can be seen best, known as the “Dog Star” because it was A: part of the constellation Canis Major (Great Dog), and B: because it tags along near the constellation Orion.

Orion was a famed hunter in Greek mythology, and it would be logical that a great hunter would need a hunting dog as companion, right? Right.

(Also, as a quick aside, this is why J.K. Rowling chose the name “Sirius Black” for a human-canine shapeshifter.)

This period of time when Sirius was most visible was accordingly called “the dog days,” the hottest time of the year. The Greeks and Romans associated this uncomfortable weather with general lethargy, bad luck, droughts and mad dogs.

The exact meanings behind the phrase “dog days” disappeared around the Dark Ages, but as astronmer Jay Holberg told National Geographic, the phrase lived on.

And when we don’t know the exact reasoning behind something, it’s a natural human tendency to invent a plausible explanation, University of Michigan English professor Anne Curzan explained to National Geographic. The Greeks’ thought process likely went something like this:

The dog days of summer are extremely hot. Dogs pant when they’re overheated, and panting dogs have a tendency to drool. Drooling dogs look an awful lot like foaming at the mouth, which is what mad dogs do. Therefore, following that logic, the dog days of summer make dogs go mad.

Today, “dog days” are a good title for a Vanessa Hudgens movie, and a good excuse for Minor League Baseball teams to host “Bark in the Park” promotional nights, where dogs (on leashes) are allowed to come to the ballpark.

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