Márti's puppy rests in the shade in Hungary.
The Dog Days of summer are in July and August, and are associated with Sirius, the Dog Star. But actually Sirius translates to "glowing" or "scorcher." It's in the constellation Canis Major (Greater Dog), and is the brightest star in the sky to the naked eye. There's lots more information about the Dog Days and their sociological and meteorological influence through the ages available on the Internet and elsewhere.