dog's life

Idioms  

1. 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.”

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Example Sentences

The animal-adoption people told him they were unaware of the events in the dog’s life that would have led to this.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 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

Playing fetch is part and parcel of a dog's life - but now scientists have found many cats enjoy it just as much.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2023

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

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

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas