dog's life

live or lead a dog's life

Meanings:
– a very unhappy and unpleasant life
– a miserable, unhappy existence
– to lead a drab or boring life

Examples:
1. Mark's been leading a dog's life since he was fired from the job.
2. He's been living a dog's life since his wife left him.
3. Poor Richard really leads a dog's life.
4. I've been working so hard. I'm tired of living a dog's life.
5. I've got to go to the market, then cook a meal, then pick Davis up from the airport – it's a dog's life.

Origin:
This Idiomatic 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.”