Works like a dog

This year we have had many promotions at my former place of work, the Social Security Administration, which would be Paul's current employer. I said on more than one occasion when asked about a promotee - He/she works like a dog When it came out of my mouth it sounded somewhat crude. Would I have said that before Liam? Not sure, I know it is something that is said and meant as a compliment and that is how I meant it. I have never seen Liam work at all. I do know that dogs are divided into breed types and at Westminster Kennel show, Liam might be in any one of three groups; the gun dog group, for his Irish setter quarter, the utility group, for his Dalmatian quarter, and the hound group, for his dachshund and beagle two quarters. Hope that is 4 quarters. Liam is equal parts of each.
No, not the working group for Liam.
There are some working dogs thank goodness, for they help us humans so much.

Other "dog" sayings are barking and howling in my head:

a hair of the dog that bit you something I often heard my father say after a night at Breslin and Sweeney's in Woodside. As a kid this rubbed salt in my wounds-since being a"project kid" there was no hair of any dog in sight ever. I did not get the meaning of this one until I was older; from the looks of my Dad, it seemed to reference a long celebratory night out.
I did get it after my first hangover in the Hamptons. Still, I did not know where the hair of the dog expression" came from. Knew where the hangover came from The hair of the dog- I knew it meant to have another drink from the context, but why hair of the dog? Seems the meaning is this:
"Almost invariably associated with the consumption of alcohol, this goes back to the belief that the hair of a dog that bites someone could be used as an antidote against the bad effects of the bite. By extension, another drink or two after a drinking binge would be the cure for a hangover." from wwwbuy1or2

Top Dog/underdog I have been both. I believe Liam has only been one. Seems that sawing logs was often done in a pit with one man in the pit and the other above it, both working the saw. The one above was known as the "top dog" and the other as the bottom dog "underdog."

You can't teach an old dog new tricks could be one who refuses to learn something new, or as in Liam's case; an implication that the person/dog already knows more about the subject than the teacher

Dog Days Hottest most sultry days of summer; or a period of time marked by lack of progress
not so.
Really from the Dog Star, Sirius, brightest star in the heavens besides the sun and believed to cause the sultry summer weather. Obviously the Dog Star is not a working dog this month.

That Dog won't hunt I had never heard this until Bill Clinton said it Now all the politicians seem to have a use for it. translation-that plan or scheme will fail.


Every dog has its day
I hope so.

I have to go see a Man/Woman about a dog
idiom, meaning taking one's leave, Bye see you next time

Liam bird doggin in the garden
woof, woof