THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER " dies caniculares"....

TONY relaxes on the cool cement at home....too hot for out door rings!

The hottest, most sultry days of summer ranging from mid-July to mid-August.
SIRIUS " DOG STAR" is in close proximity to the sun. The star is claimed to be responsible
for the hot weather. Sirius is the brightest star in the constellation CANIS MAJOR.
Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "the Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other creatures became languid; causing to man, among other diseases, burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies." according to Brady’s Clavis Calendaria, 1813.[1] Wikipedia

The modern French term for both this summer period (and for heat waves in general) "canicule", derives from this same term. It means "little dog", again referring to Sirius. Wikipedia