«مِنْ قِلِّةِ الْخِيلْ شَدُّوا عَلَى الْكِلَابْ»

The image is deliberately ridiculous. When proper mounts run out, people try to saddle dogs and ride them, a substitute that cannot do the job. The picture shows how far circumstances have fallen, since a shortage of the right means has pushed them to a laughable expedient.

As commentary, the proverb laments or mocks a weakened, degraded state of affairs, one in which standards have collapsed and whatever is left must serve. Its force comes from the gap between the noble horse and the lowly dog, which marks the distance between what things once were and their present poverty.

Fits a remark on a situation that has sunk so low that absurd, unfit substitutes are being pressed into service. It conveys mocking dismay at the decline, so it suits rueful commentary and may offend if aimed at the people involved, casting them as poor stand-ins.