Keeping Dogs and Barking Yourself

Mike in Jacksonville, Florida, is curious about the phrase There’s no use in keeping the dogs and doing the barking yourself. His dad would use it when delegating a chore to one of his kids. As early as the 1500s, the proverb Don’t keep a dog and bark yourself was circulating in English. The idea is that it’s a waste to hire or procure someone else to do a job but then try to do it yourself. This is part of a complete episode.

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