The expression “dog days of summer” is something we say about the unbearably humid, triple digit temperature days that make any outside activity a miserable experience. You may have even thought we called them the dog days because it’s just too hot to do anything other than lying around like a lazy dog.

While that may be true, there is a more interesting back story. The dog days of summer are July 3 through August 11, named for Sirius, commonly known as the Dog Star. Sirius is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere sky (excluding the sun) and rises at dawn during this 40 day period. And because the appearance of the Dog Star rising with the sun has historically coincided with extreme heat, drought, and other destructive weather patterns, it was viewed as a warning sign to our agrarian ancestors.

Other minor holidays in August involving dogs include National Dog Day (because every dog has its day) and Work Like a Dog Day. The latter is intended to inspire us to be extra dedicated and tenacious in getting our work done. Well, we know our Workday Student project teams consistently show that kind of tenacity and willingness to go above and beyond, like a dog with a bone. You perform at this level every day, running with the big dogs. You rise above the pack in this dog eat dog world.

So with the dog days of summer behind us and our next milestone ahead, we celebrate all of your hard work and dogged determination to make Workday work for you!