It’s Time To Skin The Brown Dog!

The Dog Days of summer have arrived. The loud stinging sound of cicadas penetrate the airwaves with vibrato. Incessant hot temperatures keep reminding us what summer is all about. And to think that just a few months ago we were begging for some kinder, warmer weather. Now we are begging for kinder, cooler temperatures.

The fluctuation of emotions brought about by the changing of the seasons. The complicated psychological makeup of the strange species of mankind. When it comes to the weather, we never seem to be satisfied. 

When temperatures are high and the humid air is thick, we refer to the time of year as Dog Days of summer. Only dogs would be mad enough to venture out into this scorching heat. Some species of fish will go for deeper water to find relief from the heat. Or could it be that bigger fish are just following the food chain heading into the depths of the water?

In our own small way of thinking, we seldom stop to realize that Dog Days are between July and September only for us Yanks in the northern hemisphere. But for the Polynesians, they will enjoy this natural element between January and March, while we Yanks will complain about the cold Arctic air.

In Ancient Rome,  Dog Days extended from July 24 through August 24 (or, alternatively July 23-August 23). In many European cultures (German, French, Italian) this period is still said to be the time of the Dog Days.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the ancient heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. These are the days of the year when rainfall is at its lowest levels.

As I plunge further into the Wiki, I detect some clues that shed light of this mystery, which has been hidden for decades, at least for some of us. Where does the origin of the phrase “Dog Days” come from? According to Wiki, the ancients blamed the nasty, unforgiveable weather on a star. That star to get all the blame – Sirius, also called you guessed it, the “Dog Star”.

Sirius ascends in the east before dawn on late summer mornings. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. It is easier to see on winter and spring evenings. If you’re already familiar with Orion, which most of us are, just look to the left at that really bright star. That’s Sirius. Take a look at this very classy video of Orion, which also mentions the star Sirius. Nice, eh?

To those not familiar with Orion, look for three stars (Orion’s Belt) lined up in a row. Orion will show up in the eastern sky in the evenings. Winter is the best time to view.

Sirius, or the “Dog Star”, is a star that holds prominence in its constellation called Canis Major, or the “Big Dog”.

It turns out that the Romans blamed the stagnant, hot air on Sirius, the brightest star in the sky besides the sun itself. The Romans had their own little way of dealing with this problem. When dog days rolled around that time of year, the Romans would sacrifice a brown dog, hoping to appease the mighty rage of Sirius. I’m sort of curious why they chose only brown dogs?

In our wonderful age of modernity, this would sound the bells of animal rights groups throughout the world! But I can share the mentality of the Romans; some days the heat is almost unbearable. If skinning the brown dog would alleviate this condition, I’m sure many would be tempted to oblige the sacred carnage. But of course, we have since moved on from that school of thought. Right?

So, my small piece of advice to you is this… Be wary of your neighbor this time of year. The hot sultry sun could provoke him or her into total hysteria. Madness I say.

As the seas boil, your wine turns sour, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies, be aware of this phenomenon.

One final thought to those gasping for air in the scolding hot sunlight – if your dog is brown you might consider concealing him further in the woods. You never know, a Roman could hold the dog responsible for the heat!