Dog Day’s Of Summer

The dog days of summer. When you hear those words, what is the first thing that comes into your mind? Heat would most likely be the most popular answer. A large reason for that is because dog day’s occur right at the end of July through most of August. The hottest days of summer is during that time in the northern hemisphere.

The Romans believed that the extra heat and humidity during the July thru August time frame was a result of the dog star, Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky during the winter months. In the summer, however, it rises with the sun. The Romans believed because Sirius was so bright it helped to heat the Earth. During dog days the Sun and Sirius reach their pinnacle together. So, obviously, in their thinking it was so hot because they had the Sun and Sirius the “dog star” beating down on them at the same time. Thus was born the dog days of summer.

In hillbilly lore the dog days of summer are a little more ominous. It was a time of certain dangers learned from years of living in the mountains. The first danger we all know is the heat. August is when everybody starts thinking about how much they can’t wait for Fall. Unless your a hunter in which case you wait for Fall year round. But anyway, the heat is the first danger during dog days. You have to be really careful doing any outdoor activity and be sure to drink plenty of fluids. Preferably the ones containing electrolytes.

The second danger is the danger of infection from swimming. During dog days the air is so still that bodies of water can become somewhat stagnant due to the heat and the stillness of the air. Obviously this would be less severe in very large bodies of water and moving water. But even on large lakes, the water in the coves and places like that can become stagnant very easily. I’m not saying don’t go swimming in the hottest part of summer. But if you have an unhealed cut or anything that could possibly get infected then I would suggest limiting your swimming to the pool. Either that or make sure to cover it well and use added protection.

The final danger, in some states anyway, is the copperhead. During dog days the copperhead is usually going through it’s second shedding of the year. The first time they shed is during late winter close to the end of their hibernation period. I’m not sure how long it takes the snake to shed but during that time they are for the most part blind and extremely dangerous. Normally you would have to nearly step on a copperhead to get it to strike. During dog days, however, the blind snake will strike at anything within it’s range. Simply because it can’t see and it will try to protect itself from unknown enemies.

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During dog days, heat is the danger that most of us face. Young children and elderly individuals can be the most affected by the heat and humidity. Be careful outside during this time. If you have to be outside then familiarize yourself with the signs of heat related illnesses. The main one being heat stroke. A definite tell tell sign that you are on your way to a heat stroke is when you just suddenly stop sweating. If that happens then find a cool place to be and find it quickly. Drink plenty of fluids with electrolyte if available, or just plain water. Drink it slowly to begin with. You will want desperately to just gulp but take my word for it that will only make it worse. That will just add a nauseated stomach to an already bad situation. The idea is to keep the fluids inside your body and drinking slowly will help with that. Getting fluids back in your body is the most important thing you can do and doing so will probably save your life.
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