Dog days

On the whacky holiday calendar August 5th is Work Like a Dog Day.  Anyone who has ever held a job knows that some people skate by doing as little as possible while others "work like a dog."  Today is a day to show appreciation for those who carry more than their load.

We're wrapping up the dog days of summer, the hottest period between July 3 and August 11.  The phrase refers to the rising of Sirius the dog star in the constellation Canis Major at sunrise.  The "dog days" association goes all the way back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. In the Mediterranean region it was a time of disease and discomfort.   From Homer:

 Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky
On summer nights, star of stars,
Orion's Dog they call it, brightest
Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat
And fevers to suffering humanity.

Well, not for some lucky dogs...