proverb · Words worth keeping
No point in keeping a dog if you do your own barking.
No point in keeping a dog if you do your own barking.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Keeping a dog while doing its barking oneself questions a role assigned without being allowed to serve its purpose. The saying criticises redundant effort through an animal image.
What the words are saying
The precise traditional context is unverified, and the sentence supplies no animal-care rule. A qualified human application clarifies delegation without treating people as owned tools or assuming every check is unnecessary. Responsibility and useful coordination remain even when a task is shared.
Everyday example
A team clarifies who handles a task instead of repeatedly duplicating the same work.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified delegation image with agency and accountability retained.
What it does not mean
No animal guidance or duty to surrender all oversight is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Ireland
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 839; PDF page 74; collection label: Ireland
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Ireland