The Dog Days of Summer are Here: Dog Expressions to Ponder
Monday, July 12th, 2010
Now that the Dog Days of Summer are upon us, did you ever wonder where some of the most widely used dog expressions come from? Well, I decided to check a few out and thought I’d like to share my findings with you….
THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER finds its’ origins in the stars, specifically the constellation Canis Major or big dog. The brightest star in this cluster that resembles the outline of a dog is called Sirius. Sirius is 20 times as bright as the sun and twice it’s size and it was believed that the period between July 3 and August 11 (approximately) represented “extra summer warmth,” hence, the “dog days of summer.” In actuality, the timeframe represents the 20 days before and the 20 days after when Sirius and the sun are perfectly in line.
DOG TIRED Seems to date back to the 1800s when Alfred the Great’s two sons would go out hunting with the dogs; whoever would catch more at the end of the day would have the honor of sitting next to their father at the evening’s supper. The exhausting competition left the sons “dog tired.” 
RAINING CATS AND DOGS This is a puzzler. In my findings there seems to be no consensus of where the term exactly comes from. Several theories abound ranging from Norse mythology where sailors likened violent storms to be caused by cats (bringing the rain) and dogs (the wind). Another says that, during the 1500s, dogs and cats would sleep on or hide in the thatched roofs of houses in England and during storms, they would washed out of the thatch. It it also theorized that perhaps Jonathan Swift penned the term in his 1710 poem, A Description of a City Shower.
SICK AS A DOG Ok, this one’s relatively simple. Dogs eat anything and everything, right? And sometimes it doesn’t work out for them, right? In other words, you’re left cleaning up a big mess on the floor. So, back in England in the 1700′s the phrase was coined.
What doggie expressions are your favorites? Brandy and Val, Real Dogs with Real Tales, would love to hear your comments! We love to “do good where good is needed” and it is through this blog, our sales of our books and toys and our pet therapy appearances that we want to spread the word and benefit the lives of animals and children.
