Barking Up the Wrong Tree
by Barbara Freedman-De Vito
If dog is man’s best friend, then why does our language have so many expressions that portray dogs in a negative light? English abounds with sayings that focus on canine aggression or the sadness of “a dog’s life,” at the mercy of cruel human “masters.” Many of these date from past centuries when life in English-speaking nations was truly more harsh than it is today