Ollie takes a look at the origin of the phrase "the dog days of summer" influenced by the Dog Star, Sirius, and also suggests ways to keep dogs cool.

You may have heard of the phrase "dog days." But what does that mean? Here's how mid-summer came to be called the dog days.

The ancient Greeks and Romans blamed hot summer days on the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, which is part of the constellation Canis Major. You, too, can blame Sirius for the hot weather or you can keep cool during the heat of the day by enjoying some related entertainment:

Welcome to the dog days of summer. By traditional reckonings, the “dog days”—the hottest days of the summer in the Northern Hemisphere—run from July 3 to August 11.

Sure, I could have written about hot dogs for Memorial Day, but it’s not like there was any rush to be seasonal. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage

Shake Shack’s Dog Days menu unleashes loaded hot dogs that might just steal the summer spotlight from the burgers. The post The Shake Shack Hot Dogs Might Be The Best Thing On The Menu first appeared on Spoon University.