Dogs as alternative energy sources

In these days of rising energy prices one's imagination wanders. Could dogs provide this energy that we need so terribly?

The squire in the movie Tom Jones (1963) sets an energy conservation example for all of us by sleeping with his dogs (as friends of course).

Ancient cavemen, perhaps, also once slept with their dogs in the days before oil became plentiful. Maybe we should heed their example.

The history of dogs as an alternative energy source is still new with many stones yet unturned, but I've done a little researh into the origins of the phrase "three dog night":

"I understood that this is a temperature scale and that it refers to the number of dogs you need in bed with you at night to stay warm. I was recently told that it refers to the number of dogs that died that night due to the cold. Comments?"

":: In Alaska, and the arctic, when it gets dreadfully cold you bring dogs from the sled team into the tent to sleep with you. The measure of cold is how many dogs it takes to provide enough body heat to get through the night. I've heard of four dog and five dog nights, but three dog night is the most recognizable phrase because of the rock group with the same name" (Source)

Someone else says it might be Australian.