Even a dog can find a stick if it walks around

Japanese: 犬も歩けば棒に当たる - いぬもあるけばぼうにあたる

It is an example of encountering unexpected good fortune while working hard and moving around. It also means that those who are proactive in doing things are more likely to encounter misfortune.

[Example] After hearing Hanshichi's report, the boss, Kikgoro, was so amazed that he even caught a whale on the beach of Kanasugi. "They say that if a dog walks around, it will find a stick, but you've done something great while I was wandering around. <Omitted> Good, good, it's a great job, <Omitted> I'll report all of your work to the boss, so you can trust me." [Kidou Okamoto *Hanshichi Torimonocho - Ishitoro | 1923-25]

[Example] On the way home, I gave a thumbs up to pick up a car, but a young officer who was angry that his picnic trip had been cancelled after being dumped by his girlfriend gave me a ride to Hyakunamura, and as I got out of the car he handed me a big package of fried chicken. They say that even a dog can walk, but when Eiko gets hungry, fried chicken falls from the sky. [Uehara Eiko * Tsuji no Hana - Postwar Edition | 1989]

[Explanation] This is well known as the opening phrase of the Edo Iroha Karuta. Since ancient times, there have been two interpretations of the proverb: one about encountering good fortune and one about encountering misfortune. The literal meaning is the latter, and there seems to be no element of good fortune, but the majority of examples are used in the context of encountering unexpected good fortune. This interpretation is only possible by belittling oneself and likening oneself to a "dog," and by consciously expressing the good fortune in the opposite words of "hitting a stick," making the whole sentence a paradox. The basis for choosing this clever phrase for the "I" in the Iroha Karuta is the Edokko's cynical linguistic sense, which refers to oneself as a worthless person and "being mean" to things one likes or that are wonderful, and their unyielding spirit in the face of adversity.

Source: Dictionary of Proverbs About Dictionary of Proverbs Information

Japanese:

労をいとわず動きまわるうちに思いがけない幸運に遭うことのたとえ。また、物事を積極的に行う者は、それだけ災難に遭うことも多いというたとえ。

[使用例] 半七の報告を聴いて、親分の吉五郎は金杉の浜で鯨をつかまえたほどに驚いた。「犬もあるけば棒にあたると言うが、手前もうろうろしているうちに、ど偉いことをしやがったな。〈略〉いい、いい、なにしろ大出来だ、〈略〉てめえの働きはみんな旦那方に申し立ててやるからそう思え」［岡本綺堂＊半七捕物帳―石灯籠｜1923～25］

[使用例] 帰り道、親指を立てて車を拾ったら、女に振られてピクニック行きがふいになった、と憤まんやるかたない若い将校が百名村まで乗せてくれ、降りぎわにフライドチキンの大きな包みをポイと手渡してくれました。犬も歩けば、というけれど、栄子が腹減りゃ、天から揚げ鶏が降ってくるといったところでしょうか。［上原栄子＊辻の華・戦後篇｜1989］

[解説] 江戸いろはかるたの冒頭の句としてよく知られています。ことわざの意味は、古くから幸運に遭うとするものと災難に遭うとするものの二通りの解釈がありました。文字どおりには後者となり、幸運に結びつく要素は皆無のようですが、用例の大半は思いがけない幸運に出会う文脈で用いられています。このような解釈は、みずからを卑下して「犬」になぞらえ、幸運にであったことを意識的に「棒に当たる」と逆の語で表現し、文全体を逆説とすることによって、はじめて可能となります。このひねりの利いた文句をいろはかるたの「い」に選んだ根底には、自らをつまらぬ者といい、好きなものやすばらしいものを「にくい」という江戸っ子の斜にかまえた言語感覚と逆境にめげない心意気があったといえるでしょう。

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