Puppy (Dog) Days of Summer

The phrase “dog-days” of summer goes back thousands of years to Roman times.  In those ancient times, during the hottest days of their summer, Sirius, the dog star and brightest star in the constellation Canis Major was seen close to the rising sun and the association was made.  It’s been a hot, hot summer here in upstate N.Y.    Sultry, languid, humid weather has made many of us feel “dog-tired” just when we want to squeeze in all of our summer activities.

Tai has just turned 8 months old.  This puppy rarely shows signs of being tired (ever?) so I’m not sure that the term dog-tired would apply to him.   We’ve made the most of his first summer as he’s settled into our family and grown his brain and his body.

He’s gone camping…

And hiking…

And running in wide open spaces…

And swimming with friends…

And he’s found cool places to lay down with his “pack” to get a respite from the heat…

He’s settling a little bit from his puppy “busy”.  As I write this – following a long walk on another one of these all too frequent hot, hot days –  he squeezed himself into a sheltie size bed, which he gradually rolled out of and is taking a “nap” – notice the open eyes – next to my desk…a welcome first for us and sign that he’s developing a nice off switch.

During all of these outings, there are opportunities to train.  This pic shows me working both loose leash walking and “don’t bark at the baby in stroller”.

Oh…and what about agility training?  That’s coming along nicely too.  But more importantly, Tai is fitting in with our family and having a chance to be a puppy, and to enjoy his first discoveries, as we enjoy watching him grow.  Long live summer and it’s dog days but here’s also to the cooler days of fall just around the corner.