---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even if I take him out for three hours…"
description: "\"“Even if I take him out for three hours every day, and go and chat to him for another hour, that leaves twenty hours for him all alone with nothing to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/nancy-mitford-7161_animal_even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-e_3092121.jpg"
---

#  Even if I take him out for three hours every day, and go…

![“Even if I take him out for three hours every day, and go and chat to him for another hour, that leaves twenty hours for him all alone with nothing to do. Oh, why can't dogs read?” quote by Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/nancy-mitford-7161_animal_even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-e_3092121.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/nancy-mitford-7161_animal_even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-e_3092121.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/nancy-mitford-7161_animal_even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-e_3092121.jpg)

> ““Even if I take him out for three hours every day, and go and chat to him for another hour, that leaves twenty hours for him all alone with nothing to do. Oh, why can't dogs read?””

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Spending excessive time with a dog leaves it bored and unchallenged, highlighting the need for mental stimulation for pets.

**In simple terms:** Dogs need mental activity, not just physical time.

Key Takeaway

Provide varied enrichment for pets.

Themes

responsibility companionship animal welfare

Mood

concerned thoughtful

Type

advice observational

When to use this quote

- pet owners
- dog trainers
- animal shelters

Key Concepts

psychology behavioral needs

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you enrich a pet’s day?
- What activities stimulate a dog’s mind?

A Different Perspective

Dogs also need mental challenges, not just human presence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Anthropomorphism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropomorphism/) [Chat Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chat-hour-5321452/) [Dogs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogs/) [Dogs Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogs-read-1342196/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hour/) [Hours Oh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours-oh-600065/) [Leaves Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaves-hours-5321453/)

## Related quotes

> [“In bed, I can go for hours. Oh yes, I love naps. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dark-jar-tin-zoo/in-bed-i-can-go-for-hours-oh-yes-i-love-naps/)

[Dark Jar Tin Zoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dark-jar-tin-zoo/)

> [“If barking correlates with a juvenile and submissive condition, then it’s doubtful that dogs read our loud vocal displays as dominant or impressive. Rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-b-mcconnell/if-barking-correlates-with-a-juvenile-and-submissive-condition-then/)

[Patricia B. McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-b-mcconnell/)

> [Dogs read the world through their noses and write their history in urine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ackerley/dogs-read-the-world-through-their-noses-and-write-their-history-in/)

[J. R. Ackerley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ackerley/)

> [My favorite thing to do is just stay home with the dogs and read or watch movies and be together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/my-favorite-thing-to-do-is-just-stay-home-with-the-dogs-and-read-or/)

[Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/)

> [“The problem is not that dolphins are dumber than we thought, but that our anthropomorphism inevitably makes it hard to understand an intelligence other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/the-problem-is-not-that-dolphins-are-dumber-than-we-thought-but-that/)

[Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/)

> [“A fox passing through the wood on business of his own stopped several minutes and sniffed. 'Hobbits!' he thought. 'Well, what next? I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/a-fox-passing-through-the-wood-on-business-of-his-own-stopped-several/)

[J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/)

> [What then is truth? A movable host of metaphors, metonymies, and anthropomorphisms: in short, a sum of human relations which have been poetically and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-then-is-truth-a-movable-host-of-metaphors-metonymies-and/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Homo economicus was surreptitiously taken as the emblem and analogue for all living beings. A mechanistic anthropomorphism has gained currency. Bacteria are imagined to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/homo-economicus-was-surreptitiously-taken-as-the-emblem-and-analogue/)

[Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/)

> [ “Then there's the pillar statue in the semi-subterranean temple at Tiahuanaco \[Bolivia\]. Like the Totem Pole of Göbekli Tepe, it is anthropomorphic. Like the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-hancock/then-there-s-the-pillar-statue-in-the-semi-subterranean-temple-at/)

[Graham Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-hancock/)

> [“For any anthropomorphism we use to describe our dogs, we can ask two questions: One, is there a natural behavior this action might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-horowitz/for-any-anthropomorphism-we-use-to-describe-our-dogs-we-can-ask-two/)

[Alexandra Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-horowitz/)

> [Loving dogs is a question of anthropomorphism. We become attached to dogs because of the feelings we project on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-berge/loving-dogs-is-a-question-of-anthropomorphism-we-become-attached-to/)

[Pierre Berge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-berge/)

> [Anthropocentrism gave rise to boredom, and when anthropomorphism was replaced by technocentrism, boredom became even more profound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anthropocentrism-gave-rise-to-boredom-and-when-anthropomorphism-was/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We know from the truths of evolution and ecology that we are all related and interdependent. Anthropomorphism (crediting animals with human emotions and traits)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fox/we-know-from-the-truths-of-evolution-and-ecology-that-we-are-all/)

[Michael Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fox/)

> [“The river loved to tell everybody (everybody being the sky, the wind, the few trees that grew around there, birds, deer and even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/the-river-loved-to-tell-everybody-everybody-being-the-sky-the-wind/)

[Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/)

> [I worry about anthropomorphism as a form of self-deception. (The Christian religion is an anthropomorphic account of the universe.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-worry-about-anthropomorphism-as-a-form-of-self-deception-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Nancy Mitford

> [“My dear Lady Kroesig, I have only read one book in my life, and that is ‘White Fang.’ It’s so frightfully good I’ve never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/my-dear-lady-kroesig-i-have-only-read-one-book-in-my-life-and-that-is/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [Children should be like waffles--you should be able to throw the first one away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/children-should-be-like-waffles-you-should-be-able-to-throw-the-first/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [Do you always laugh when you make love?' said Fabrice. I hadn't thought about it, but I suppose I do. I generally laugh when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/do-you-always-laugh-when-you-make-love-said-fabrice-i-hadn-t-thought/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [“Linda's presentation of the 'facts' had been so gruesome that the children left Alconleigh howling dismally, their nerves permanently impaired, their future chances of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/linda-s-presentation-of-the-facts-had-been-so-gruesome-that-the/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [The trouble is that people seem to expect happiness in life. I can't imagine why; but they do. They are unhappy before they marry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/the-trouble-is-that-people-seem-to-expect-happiness-in-life-i-can-t/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [“She was filled with a strange, wild, unfamiliar happiness, and knew that this was love. Twice in her life she had mistaken something else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/she-was-filled-with-a-strange-wild-unfamiliar-happiness-and-knew-that/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [You've no idea how long life goes on and how many, many changes it brings. Young people seem to imagine that it's over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/you-ve-no-idea-how-long-life-goes-on-and-how-many-many-changes-it/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [“There they are, held like flies, in the amber of that moment...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/there-they-are-held-like-flies-in-the-amber-of-that-moment/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [“Women are divided into two categories: those who can deal with the men they are in love with, and those who cannot. Sophia was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/women-are-divided-into-two-categories-those-who-can-deal-with-the-men/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [When the loo paper gets thicker and the writing paper thinner, it's always a bad sign, at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/when-the-loo-paper-gets-thicker-and-the-writing-paper-thinner-it-s/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [There are worse things than poverty, though I can't for the moment remember what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/there-are-worse-things-than-poverty-though-i-can-t-for-the-moment/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [One thing about tourists is that it is very easy to get away from them. Like ants they follow a trail and a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/one-thing-about-tourists-is-that-it-is-very-easy-to-get-away-from/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [What is so nice &amp; so unexpected about life is the way it improves as it goes along. I think you should impress this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/what-is-so-nice-so-unexpected-about-life-is-the-way-it-improves-as-it/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [In France that is the one rule, never make trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/in-france-that-is-the-one-rule-never-make-trouble/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [The English lord marries for love, and is rather inclined to love where money is; he rarely marries in order to improve his coat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/the-english-lord-marries-for-love-and-is-rather-inclined-to-love/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

[Explore all 94 Nancy Mitford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

## More Animal quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/)

[Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/)

[Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/)

> [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/)

[Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/)

> [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/)

[Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/)

> [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/)

[Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/)

[Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Even if I take him out for three hours every day, and go and chat to him for another hour, that leaves twenty hours for him all alone with nothing to do. Oh, why can't dogs read?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nancy Mitford"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-every-day-and-go-and-chat-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-every-day-and-go-and-chat-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/nancy-mitford-7161_animal_even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-e_3092121.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/nancy-mitford-7161_animal_even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-e_3092121.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/nancy-mitford-7161_animal_even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-e_3092121.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Even if I take him out for three hours every day, and go and chat to him for another hour, that leaves…” — Nancy Mitford",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Nancy Mitford",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Even if I take him out...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-every-day-and-go-and-chat-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/even-if-i-take-him-out-for-three-hours-every-day-and-go-and-chat-to/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
