When I was thinking about the origin of, “going to the dogs,” I looked for a source, and this is what I came across:

“As far back as the 1500s, bad or stale food that was not thought to be suitable for human consumption was thrown to the dogs. The expression caught on and expanded to include any person or thing that came to a bad end, was ruined, or looked terrible. Source: theidioms.com.”

I already knew why we said it, but it disturbed me to see it in print.  Of course, I know dogs who will eat anything, but ever since I had my first dog, I couldn’t stand to see my dog’s reputation maligned by this phrase.  

So, I have come up with an alternate meaning.  Going to the dogs can be literal, as in I am going to the dogs, because they will play with me.  Or, he is going to the dogs because they will comfort him.  Mom is going to the dogs because they will make her laugh.  Going to the dogs can just be the desire to be close and snuggle.  There are many, many ways to change the meaning of this phrase, if one one is a dog-lover and thinks creatively.

We can’t replace the origin, because it has existed since the 1500’s.  But as in all English words, there are many opportunities to add meanings to them.  The word “run” is a perfect example.  There are literally dozens of ways in which the word “run” can be used.  Check it out in an unabridged dictionary.

But whether or not a person likes the idiom, “going to the dogs,” for the meaning it has been saddled with for hundreds of years, we need not only use it in that context.  We can create new meanings for this phrase.  After all, isn’t a dog also “man’s best friend?”