Over the course of the last few weeks, there have been a number of heat advisories and excessive heat warnings scattered across the United States.

It's a fairly common occurrence in late July and early August.

After all, these are the dog days of summer.

The term first came about when Ancient Greeks and Romans thought a faraway star caused temperatures to become extra hot in mid to late summer.

But now we know that's not the case.

Watch the video above to learn more — and to see more of these dogs.

Follow Storm Shield Meteorologist Jason Meyers via the Storm Shield app on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Download the Storm Shield Weather Radio App for your iPhone or Android device and get severe weather alerts wherever you are. Named by Time.com one of the best weather apps for your iPhone.