My dogs are barking

'My dogs are barking' is a colloquial expression that is fairly prevalent throughout the English-speaking world and means, my feet are aching and tired. The expression dates from c. 1920. 'Dogs' has been both British and US slang for feet since the early 20th century. In the American case, it is not known why dogs were associated with feet, but in the British case, it probably derived from rhyming slang, dog's meat/feet. The theory that Americans adopted this meaning after hearing British immigrants using it, remains unproven. The expression 'my dogs are barking' has been known and used in both the UK and the US since about 1920. In 1958, the US brand of comfort shoes, 'Hush Puppies', was inspired by the expression 'my dogs are barking' because Hush Puppies made them stop!