By Peter Pavarini
Of the many expressions that contain the word “dog”, none seems timelier nor more prescient than the phrase “the dog days of summer”. Now, more than halfway through the 40-day period[i] associated with the hottest and sultriest part of summer, we’ve been bombarded with the nonstop media coverage about this year’s “exceptional heat wave”[ii]. Admittedly, summer has never been my favorite season, but so far, I’ve found this year’s weather to be rather ordinary. Compared with scorchers like 1936, the year 2023 is likely to go down as rather average in terms of setting records, such as the number of days with triple-digit highs.[iii] I guess those who have no understanding of history are more prone to suffer from normal weather cycles.
Dog Days Throughout History
But this is not a blog about climate or weather. It’s about language and what it says about our culture. I find it amazing that remarkably similar versions of the phrase “dog days” have been used by different societies around the globe. As students of Western Civilization used to be taught, most of brightest stars in the night sky took their names from Greek mythology. Sirius – the “Dog Star” – at only 8.6 light years from the sun is the brightest star visible from Earth. It is part of the constellation Canis Major, the “big dog” accompanying the hunter Orion on his nightly journey. Star patterns like these have fascinated and guided travelers for millennia, therefore it’s no surprise they form the foundation of so many legends.
A slightly different version of this story appears in pre-Columbian Cherokee lore. Independent of Greek mythology, native Americans considered the two brightest stars in Canis Major (alpha and beta) the canine guardians of the entrance to the Milky Way, which the Cherokees believed was the “Path of Souls”.
Similarly, in ancient Egypt, the rising of Sirius coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile – the life-sustaining source of that civilization. “Sopdet”, the name given by the Egyptians to the star Westerners call Sirius, was thought to be the watchdog for the annual river flood. The star’s rising was so important to the Egyptians that it marked the beginning of one calendar they used, which divided the year into three seasons and ended when the river flooded again.
Our Love Affair with Dogs
As much as modern Americans love their pet dogs, the canine species had not always had the status it now enjoys. Almost all of the references to dogs in the Bible’s Old and New Testaments have a negative connotation.[iv] The human species may have coexisted with these descendants of wolves for tens if not hundreds of thousands of years[v], but for most of that time they were considered little more than useful scavengers.
Consequently, the English language is littered with expressions of speech which refer to dogs in less than flattering terms: “sick as a dog”, “dog-tired”, “go to the dogs”, “dog-eat-dog”, “a dog’s breakfast”, “underdog”, “barking up the wrong tree”, etc.
In modern times, mankind’s opinion of dogs has improved.[vi] And why not? As humans have devolved into a factious species intent upon “dogging it” until replaced by artificial intelligence, it’s easy to see why we now say things like:
“Be the person your dog thinks you are.” – C. J. Frick
“The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven not man’s.” – Mark Twain
“Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”
-Ann Landers
Dogs Not Kids
America’s youngest generations – Millennials and Gen Z – are increasingly electing to have pets instead of children.[vii] Even before COVID, American women were only having an average of 1.64 children apiece – well below the replacement rate for our population.[viii] For a variety of reasons (decreased fertility, the increased cost of having children, lifestyle choice, fear of a climate “apocalypse”), many of reproductive age are choosing to have “fur babies” instead of the human kind. The booming pet supply industry proves this point.[ix]
In 2021, according to the Census Bureau, the U.S. Population grew only 0.1%, the slowest rate of growth since the founding of the Nation. Predictions that birthrates would rebound after the COVID pandemic ended have yet to materialize.
In addition to associating the dog days of summer with heat and humidity, ancient Greeks equated this time of year with misfortune and unrest. Perhaps a history of summertime plagues or wars supported their beliefs. However, modern science demonstrates that nowadays more people die from cold than from heat by a factor of 10 to 1.[x] On the other hand, with 80% of those polled saying they are dissatisfied with the way the things are going in the U.S.[xi], the unhappiness of Americans must stem from concern far greater than summery temperatures.
Dog Wisdom
I try to end my blogs on a positive note, so there’s one expression about dogs I find encouraging:
“Every dog has its day.”
This saying probably dates from the Middle Ages but is often attributed to William Shakespeare who used it in his play Hamlet. In general, people interpret the saying to mean everyone will eventually be successful at some point in their lives. There’s an alternate meaning, however, that seems more pertinent to today’s world. That is, someone of low status (i.e., an individual out of favor with the powerful members of society) will eventually have a moment of glory when he gets the chance to right the wrongs done to him.
Yes, the wisdom of the ages can surely be found in sayings like this.
[i] The period from July 3 to August 11 marks the time when Sirius – the Dog Star – rises in conjunction with the sun. Joe Rao. “Dog Days of Summer Have Celestial Origin”, www.space.com August 13, 2010.
[ii] M. Cappucci & D. Moriarty, “Inside the most extreme heat wave the Southern U.S. has faced”, Washington Post, July 21, 2023.
[iii] Based only upon speculative models and unproven theories, the Washington Post reported that July 4, 2023 was the “hottest day” in the last 125,000 years. Scott Dance, “Earth is at its hottest in thousands of years”, Washington Post, July 8, 2023. The entire mainstream media has since repeated this story.
[iv] There is no Biblical reference for dogs being kept as domestic house pets.
[v] V. Morell, “How Wolf Became Dog”, Scientific American, July 1, 2015.
[vi] Author’s note: I have been the proud owner of three Labrador retrievers over the past 29 years. My current dog Sophie declined to be photographed for this blog.
[vii] E. Lowry, “Why So Many Millennials Are Opting for Pets, Not Parenthood,” Forbes, August 31, 2016. 57% of all Millennial household have a dog compared with 51% of all American households.
[viii] America’s slowing birth rates, charted,” The Advisory Board, June 6, 2023.
[ix] “Global Pet Industry to Grow to $500 Billion by 2030”, Bloomberg, March 23, 2023.
[x] P. Brown, “Human Deaths from Hot and Cold Temperatures and Implications for Climate Change”, The Breakthrough Institute, December 1, 2022.
[xi] Poll: “Satisfaction with the United States”, Gallup, July 27, 2023.
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