pet a burning dog是什么意思？

我总感觉这样翻译不太好，但是我从一些美国杂志以及网站上面看过，有一个俚语的翻译：抚慰一个心急的家伙。那就是自找没趣，招惹麻烦。
我是这么理解的，谢谢！

Never pet a burning dog.
不要自找没趣.
不要去招惹一个正在气头上的人.

好象是..自找没趣.

你可以参考国外观众的讨论：
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080811012022AArWzg8

看看下面的：
It means not to jump into a situation blindly, without assessing it thoroughly - otherwise you could get hurt or cause more damage.

I'm thinking you're asking this because of the recent "Generation Kill" episode on HBO, correct? The saying, "Never pet a burning dog," is indicated because the characters had thought they were extending what they believed to be a helping hand to the oppressed people, but now see the ramifications of doing so are poor, and finding that the good they thought they were doing is in question, and the likelihood of harm befal