Maltese Only News
March 2002
Just For Fun
 Proverbs
"To live long, eat like a cat, drink like a dog." - German Proverb
"Three things it is best to avoid: a strange dog, a flood, and a man who thinks he is wise." - Welsh Proverb
"The dog wags his tail, not for you, but for your bread." - Portuguese Proverb
"The barking of a dog does not disturb the man on a camel." - Egyptian Proverb
"Children aren't dogs; adults aren't gods." - Haitian Proverb
"Beware of a silent dog and still water." - Latin Proverb
"The greater love is a mother's; then comes a dog's; then a sweetheart's." - Polish Proverb "One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him." - Chinese Proverb
"Do not respond to a barking dog." - Moroccan Jewish saying
"Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun." - Indian Proverb
"Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas." - Italian Proverb
"Show a dog a finger, and he wants the whole hand." - Yiddish Proverb
"If you are a host to your guest, be a host to his dog also." - Russian Proverb
"A house without either a cat or a dog is the house of a scoundrel." - Portuguese Proverb
"An honest man is not the worse because a dog barks at him." - Danish Proverb
"Every dog is allowed one bite." - US Proverb
"A good dog deserves a good bone." - US Proverb
"If you stop every time a dog barks, your road will never end." - Saudi Arabian Proverb
Dog Sayings
A boy's best friend is his dog
A man's best friend is his dog
A house is not a home without a dog
Dogs are really people with short legs in fur coats
Dogs are people too
Be tuff ! The "dog days" of summer can be wuff !
Chasing your tail gets you nowhere ... 'cept back to where you started
Family and friends welcome. Fleas are not.
Friends Fur-ever
Husband and dog missing ... 25 cents reward for dog
Wife and dog missing ... 25 cents reward for dog
If you want the best seat in the house ... move the dog
Life is just one table scrap after another
My dog's not spoiled ... I'm just well trained !
Recycle bones here
When please doesn't work ... Beg !
Wipe your paws
Wipe your paws or else
Beware of attack puppy
I love dogs
A spoiled rotten dog lives here
Spoiled rotten dogs live here
"In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog."
"Maybe you've been looking for love in all the wrong places. A dog will treat you better than anyone you'll meet at happy hour. Trust me. I've been to happy hour."
" ... work can wait another 30 minutes. There are more important things to do. Like throwing sticks."
"A dog will quickly turn you into a fool, but who cares? Better your dog than your boss. I'm a fool for my dog and proud of it."
"Dogs are better than children. Even my friends with children say that. As a dog friend of mine likes to say, children are for people who can't have dogs."
"A barking dog never bites."
"Barking up the wrong tree."
"Dog in a manger."
"Let sleeping dogs lie."
"Tail wagging the dog."
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
Dog Superstitions
Most dogs are physically or behaviourally incapable of killing livestock.
Packs of wild or stray dogs are responsible.
Only savage dogs kill livestock.
Only rogue dogs kill livestock.
A dog won't attack other peoples livestock if it doesn't attack its owner's livestock.
Dogs will be covered in blood after an attack.
Dogs will continue to kill because they have a taste for blood as a result of previous attacks.
Dogs are killing for sport or fun.
Attacks on livestock only happen during the night.
A trained dog will not attack livestock.
Greeks thought dogs could foresee evil.
Howling dogs mean the wind god has summoned death, and the spirits of the dead will be taken.
A howling dog at night means bad luck or somebody close to you will be very sick or worse.
According to Matt Groening, a dog with seven toes can see ghosts.
Dogs have always been credited with the power of sensing supernatural influences, and seeing ghosts, spirits, faeries or deities which are invisible to human eyes. In Wales only dogs could see the death-bringing hounds of Annwn; in ancient Greece the dogs were aware when Hecate was at a crossroads foretelling a death. Dogs are believed to be aware of the presence of ghosts, and their barking, whimpering or howling is often the first warning of supernatural occurrances.
There are many instances of black dog ghosts which are said to haunt lanes, bridges, crossroads, footpaths and gates, particularly in Suffolk, Norfolk and the Isle of Man. Some black dogs are said to be unquiet ghosts of wicked souls, but others are friendly guides and protectors to travellers; the Barguest of northern England could also appear as a pig or a goat, but was most commonly a huge black dog with large eyes and feet which left no prints. Packs of ghostly hounds have also been recorded all over Britain, often heard howling as they pass by on stormy nights rather than actually seen; these hounds generally foretell death, or at least disaster, if they are seen and the proper action is to drop face-down onto the ground to avoid spotting them.
When a dog howls in an otherwise silent night, it is said to be an omen of death, or at least of misfortune. A howling dog outside the house of a sick person was once thought to be an omen that they would die, especially if the dog was driven away and returned to howl again. A dog which gives a single howl, or three howls, and then falls silent is said to be marking a death that has just occurred nearby.
Dogs were feared as possible carriers of rabies; sometimes even a healthy dog was killed if it had bitten someone, because of the belief that if the dog later developed rabies, even many years afterwards, the bitten person would also be afflicted. Remedies for the bite of a mad dog often included the patient being forced to eat a part of the dog in question, such as its hairs or a piece of its cooked liver. Dogs were also used to cure other illnesses; one old charm which was often used for childrens' illnesses was to take some of the patient's hairs and feed them to a dog inbetween slices of bread and butter; the ailment was believed to transfer to the animal, healing the patient.
In Scotland, a strange dog coming to the house means a new friendship; in England, to meet a spotted or black and white dog on your way to a business appointment is lucky. Three white dogs seen together are considered lucky in some areas; black dogs are generally considered unlucky, especially if they cross a traveller's path or follow someone and refuse to be driven away. Fishermen traditionally regard dogs as unlucky and will not take one out in a boat, or mention the word 'dog' whilst at sea.
©2002 Maltese Only News, All Rights Reserved |
