English idiom: “love me, love my dog”

What if you don’t have a dog? Can you still use this fun English idiom?

Don’t worry, all you cat people out there- this idiom works even if you don’t have a dog!

This idiom simply means the wish to  be loved by someone unconditionally. The dog symbolizes the flaws and mistakes of someone, and the hope that they can be accepted and forgiven fully. For example, someone’s “dog” might be their bad sense of fashion, lack of cooking skills, or anxious habit of biting their nails. Basically, the speaker is saying, “please love me, with all my flaws included!”

Here’s an example: “Marriage can sometimes seem scary, because it’s a mutual love me, love my dog situation for life.”

In this example, the speaker is saying that marriage might seem intimidating, because it requires both people in the relationship to love each other, including the flaws of the other person. They have to love the person, and the person’s dog!

Now that you’ve learned this fun English idiom, why not try and practice it in your next English conversation?