dog's life

Idioms

A miserably unhappy existence, as in He's been leading a dog's life since his wife left him. This expression was first recorded in a 16th-century manuscript and alludes to the miserable subservient existence of dogs during this era. By the 1660s there was a proverb: “It's a dog's life, hunger and ease.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Every pet owner thinks, like, ‘OK, how can I make my dog’s life more comfortable as they get older?’”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2025

“That’s what I’d want, is that they’d really value their dog’s life and give their dog its best chance of having a full, long life.”

From New York Times • May 5, 2024

Spending time with a dog is one of the most consistently effective ways to improve a dog's life in the shelter.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2023

But there are other ways to enhance your dog’s life overall.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2022

“What’s the dog’s life to me? If it pleases you, then it shall happen.”

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023