Make sure you're hydrating and finding ways to stay cool the next several days

ROANOKE, Va. The dog days of summer traditionally run from July 3 through August 11. They thought that when the sun rose in conjunction with Sirius (the dog star), both stars would combine their energy to heat the earth more. History of the 'Dog Days' of summerMany years and scientific advances later, we now know that the only star to have that much influence on us is the sun (not Sirius). It turns out that the hottest time of the year in our area is in fact the dog days, when compared with pre-dog and post-dog days. Pre dog, dog, and post dog temperatures in our areaThis is a good reminder to watch your pets paws this time of year, as concrete and blacktop heat up a lot more when temperatures are in the 80s and 90s.