Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 18, 2015

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDSMountain Views-News Saturday, July 18, 2015 11 JUST FOR BEST FRIENDSMountain Views-News Saturday, July 18, 2015 11 
by Chris Leclerc 

Happy Tails 
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Dog days ofsummer” used to describe an extremely hot 
summer day, or perhaps a lazy day in the life ofa vacationing student? Well, here’s an article byBecky Little on the National Geographic website,
that explains the origin of the phrase and whyneither of those meanings actually pertain.

Why do we call them the ‘Dog Days’ of Summer?
The “dog days” I always thought, were thosesummer days so devastatingly hot that even dogswould lie around on the asphalt, panting.

Many people today use the phrase to meansomething like that-but originally the phraseactually had nothing to do with dogs, or even withthe lazy days of summer. Instead, it turns out,
the dog days refer to the dog star, Sirius, and its

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER 


position in the

Earth’s night sky

heavens. 

shift independently

To the Greeks 

of our calendar 

and Romans, 

seasons. 

the “dog days”

“Our Earth 

occurred around 

is like a spinning

the day when 

top,” said Bradley 

Sirius appeared 

Schaefer, professor 

to rise just

of physics and 

before the sun, 

astronomy at 

in late July.

Louisiana State 

They referred to

University. “If 

these days as the

you toss it onto 

hottest time of 

a table, after it 

the year, a period

slows down…the 

that could bring

pointing direction 

fever, or even 

of the top will 

catastrophe.

slowly go around in

“If 

circles.” Similarly to 


you go 
back even as 
far as Homer, the Iliad, it’s referring to Sirius asOrion’s dog rising, and it describes the star asbeing associated with war and disaster,” said Jay

B. Holberg, author of Sirius: Brightest Diamondin the Night Sky and senior research scientist atthe University of Arizona Lunar & PlanetaryLaboratory. “All throughout Greek and Romanliterature, you found these things.”
The phrase “dog days” was translated fromLatin to English about 500 years ago. Since then,
it has taken on new meaning.

“Now people come up with other explanationsfor why they’re called the ‘dog days’ of summer,
[like] this is when dogs can go crazy.” said AnneCurzan, an English professor at the University ofMichigan.

“This is a very human tendency,” she said. Whenwe don’t know the origin of a phrase, we come upwith a plausible explanation. “The meaning has

The Hottest Days?

So, did the Greeks get it right? Are the dog days,
around when Sirius rises, really the hottest days
of the year?
Well, no. 


Although July and August are generally knownas the hottest months of the year in the NorthernHemisphere, the hottest period can vary fromyear to year. And depending on your latitude, theastronomical dog days can come at different times.
In Athens, for instance, Sirius will rise around the 
middle of August this year. But, farther south,
it’ll happen earlier in the year; farther north, it’llhappen later.

There’s another reason that the dog days don’tcorrespond neatly with the heat: the stars in

a top, “the Earth’s 
rotation is kind of wobbling around.”

The calendar is fixed according to certainevents, but the start have shifted according to theway that the Earth wobbles,” said Larry Ciupik,
astronomer at Adler Planetarium and director 
of the Doan Observatory. “So in about 50-someyears, the sky shifts about one degree.”

This means that the dog days of ancient Greecearen’t the dog days of today. What is also means isthat several millennia from now, this astrologicalevent won’t even occur during the summer.

“In 26,000 years, the dog days would completelymove all around the sky”. said Schaefer. “Roughly13,000 years from now, Sirius will be rising withthe sun in mid-winter.” Ah yes, the dog days ofwinter. When it’s so cold that even the dogs liearound the fire, trying to stay warm. 

been lost,” said 
Holberg, “butthe phrase haslived on.” 
PET OF THE WEEK RUPERT: ANIMAL ID #A4851718


A supremely awesome dog


following link: https://youtu.

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be/CAwEITEO7Xs

Meet Rupert (A4851718).

To meet Rupert in 

This little guy is a dapper,

person, please see him at the

family-ready one-year-old

Baldwin Park Shelter, located 

apricot-with-white male 

at 4275 N. Elton, Baldwin 

Pomeranian mix puppy who

Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 

was found in La Puente on 

626-962-3577). Rupert is 

July 3rd and brought to the

currently available now. For 

Baldwin Park Animal Care 

any inquiries about Rupert,

Center. Weighing 9 lbs, 

please reference his animal

Rupert prances daintily on 

ID number: A4851718. The 

leash, is very agile, appears

shelter is open seven days a

to be house trained, and getsalong instantly with everyone he meets, humanand canine. He has a special talent for dancing onhis back legs, so volunteers call him their “littleFred Astaire” and they delight in watching him!
With his even temperament and loving nature,
volunteers expect he will be great with children(as long as they know to respect his small size).
Rupert is an all-around all-star dog who will be aloving and lovable indoor pet and a great additionto any loving household. Super Rupert is readyto become your best buddy – go and meet himtoday! To watch a video of Rupert please visit the 

week, 12 pm-7 pm Monday-
Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-Sunday. This is a 
high-intake shelter with a great need for adoptions.
For more information about Rupert or the adoptionprocess, contact United Hope for Animals VolunteerAdoption Coordinator Samantha at Samantha@ 
hope4animals.org. To learn more about United 
Hope for Animals’ partnership with the BaldwinPark Shelter through its Shelter Support Program,
as well as the many dogs of all breeds, ages, andsizes available for adoption in local shelters, visithttp://www.unitedhope4animals.org/about-us/
shelter-support-program/. 

LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND? 


WHERE’S MY BEST FRIEND? 

My name is Sylvester. Some say I look like an old 
man. They’re probably right. I’m not a cute, fluffy 
thing with an adorable face. I probably never was.

Fact is, it’s been going on three years I’ve been hereat the shelter. They’re very good to me…I get twosquares a day, a soft bed, quality playtime, walks to thepark…….but I want more. I want a home, a place tocall my own with my own family - who loves me and Ican love them back. 

I come from a long line of energetic, intelligent andplayful min pins. ‘King of the Toys’: that’s what they 
call us. We make great watchdogs and companions andtake our jobs seriously.

I’m a good boy. My Mama raised me right. I’m 
friendly, great on walks, and get along well with myfriends, both human and canine. I’m known here for 
my famous belly crawl on the grass and don’t mindshowing off a bit for a treat……I may not be pretty, butI’m no fool! 


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