The dog days of summer are upon us. Check out these historic Indy pups

The phrase "dog days of summer" refers to the weeks between July 3rd and early August, often considered to be the hottest and most humid period of the year.

It stems not from the tendency of canines to loll about in the heat but from an astronomical phenomenon involving Sirius, aka the Dog Star.

In honor of the dog days of summer, we delved into the IndyStar archives to find some very photogenic local canines, at work, at play and, yes, at rest on hot and not-so-hot days.

Named for the then-Yugoslavian president, Tito, a Dalmatian mascot, responded to more than 100 fires along with his humans in Engine House 15 on English Avenue. Here he is seen in 1953 perched atop the fire truck as he and Driver Brandon Green leave the scene of a fire.

The summer of 1936 was a hot one. One sultry July day grocer Ralph D. Boomershine, who ran a neighborhood market in the 1900 block of Park Avenue, heard what sounded like a bird in his storeroom. He and his dog Brownie went to investigate only to discover that the chirping sound came from a carton of discarded eggs, two of which had hatched. Over the next few days, two more eggs hatched.

A smooth-haired fox terrier, Texas Saddle Girl, accrued so many trophies from dog shows that her owner joked to an Indianapolis Star reporter in 1949 that the family would have to move to a larger home or retire her from competitions. Walter Cuppy of Indianapolis and his wife had trained the black-and-white dog to respond to voice and hand signals and to fetch an item with their scent on it. At the time, "Tex" was recognized as the only dog of her breed to be certified as a companion dog excellent and utility dog in the United States and Canada.

Alfie, an Afghan hound, sometimes startled passersby in 1972 when he’d pop up from behind a fence, looking like nothing so much as a neighborhood gossip. He resided in the home of Mr. and Mrs. James G. Stewart of Indianapolis.

Gabriel Randolph's "wonder dog" Tramp figured out he could reach the roof of his family’s Fletcher Avenue house by scrambling up the slanting roof in the rear of the home. From there, as this 1973 photo shows, he could keep watch over his domain from a high vantage point, a patrol he conducted on a daily basis.

No, this Saint Bernard is not driving the car, it just looks that way. A photographer captured him hanging out the window on an April 1975 day in the 5200 block of Keystone Ave. as he and his mistress went for a ride.

Sometimes life can just be too exhausting if you’re a dog. An Indianapolis Star photographer captured these dogs lying about on a warm April day in 1978.

In this reminder that even dog days do come to an end, this photo from Plainfield’s Splash Island Water shows Crosby scrambling up from the deep end of the pool at the park’s end-of-season puppy pool party.