How the Dogist turned canine photos into a social media phenomenon

Joe Heim

When Elias Weiss Friedman began the Dogist in 2013, he had no idea his street photography of pooches (and their people) would one day make him a leading dog influencer on social media. That may have been because no one really used the word “influencer” back then, Instagram was still new, TikTok didn’t yet exist and Weiss Friedman started the project as a bit of a lark. The name he chose for his dog blog was a sly nod to the Sartorialist, the popular photography blog dedicated to capturing street fashion.

The Dogist quickly found its audience. Twelve years later, the thousands of dogs Weiss Friedman has chronicled in photos and reels are responsible for more than 11 million followers and just as many “awwwws.”

Weiss Friedman, who lives in New York with his wife and their dog, Elsa, spoke with The Washington Post about his new book, “This Dog Will Change Your Life,” and about why dogs mean so much to us (and what we mean to them).

The Washington Post spoke to Freidman. The interview has been edited.

Q. When you ask people if you can photograph their dog, do they always say yes?

A. Most of the time. I’d say one out of 10 times people are like, ‘Well, it’s not my dog,’ or they’re busy. They think I may want something from them. But I generally get a sense of their energy as they’re walking their dog if they seem like they’re going to be into it or not. Some people just don’t want to be put in front of 8 to 10 million people.

Q. I can totally understand that. Are you ever astounded when you sit back and think of what you’ve created and how many people are into it and following you?

A. It’s been hard to fathom recently what it means. The number is a little bit hard to picture. But I always enjoy meeting people in real life and hearing how a post or the daily feed has impacted people’s lives, because I know that it does make a difference. People have very meaningful connections to the Dogist. Often they’re going through a difficult time or grieving a loved one. And they just need something that is a source of reliable joy. And that’s harder to find nowadays, especially on the internet. Often, your faith in humanity is waning when you go on the internet. But if you view the Dogist, you know it’s going to be something uplifting, that will make you laugh, something authentic around something that people love - which is dogs.

Q. In a lot of your reels over the past couple of years, people seem to know who you are when you come up to them. Has that changed things for you as the Dogist?

A. Yeah, the cat’s out of the bag. Or, uh, the dog’s out of the kennel. For the first number of years, I was anonymous, and as a street photographer, there’s a benefit to that, because you’re sort of invisible. Nowadays, especially when I’m shooting in New York City, if you have a dog, then you probably know who I am or you follow me. It’s certainly flattering. And it’s nice to be known for something that is joyful and positive and something that people want to be part of.

Q. So if you’re doing this outside of New York it’s a little more anonymous?

A. Yeah, and I enjoy the freshness of that. I think it brings me back. It humbles me a little bit. I think that’s one of the things people really love about the Dogist, is that I just appear like Batman out of nowhere.

Q. In your new book, you write a lot about what dogs give to us and bring to us. What do we bring to them? Other than, you know, food?

A. Love, companionship, attention, belonging. I think those are the things that dogs care about the most. There are so many different varieties of them, but we shaped who they are through selective breeding over the years. So they are designed to like being with us, to have a family, to be social. Which is why it can be depressing visiting a shelter, because you see all these faces of dogs that are meant to live with people and they’re deprived of that. It’s messed up.

Q. Do you think this idea of a dog being part of the family has intensified over the past 20 to 30 years?

A. Yeah. I think we certainly anthropomorphize them more recently. We’re treating them closer to like a human baby, and I think that’s generally fine as long as we check the boxes of what their needs are. It’s always helpful to understand they are dogs, not humans. Dogs make us happier through osmosis in a certain way, just by being around them. They’re not judging themselves. They’re not staring into the mirror like, ‘How do I look? How do my ears look? I can’t believe I keep shedding everywhere. This is so embarrassing.’ Also, their generosity of eye contact is off the charts compared to people. So just being around them, people are forced to be happier.

Q. How do you feel about people walking their dog off leash in a city neighborhood?

A. It’s not something that I would encourage. It’s fascinating to see a dog that is apparently that well trained or a couple of Yorkies just following mom down the street. But it’s a little risky. Not just for the dog, which will hopefully not get hit by a car, but also for another dog, who may be dog reactive. You just don’t know.

Q. Yeah, I always see it as a flex that could easily go wrong.

A. Exactly. It’s a flex. And then allowing their dog, even if it’s on leash, to go up to another person’s dog without getting the go-ahead first, that’s the same sort of risk.

Q. I don’t know if you’ll go along with this game or not, but I wonder if I could give you a few breeds and you could just give me a very general idea of who that typical owner would be.

A. Sure.

Q. How about a Pomeranian?

A. An energetic woman.

Q. Golden retriever?

A. A middle-aged married couple in New England. Or an outdoorsy couple is what it really is.

Q. German shepherd?

A. Single guy.

Q. A basset hound?

A. Someone more traditional or rural. More conservative.

Q. Labradoodle?

A. A young couple.

Q. And you have a husky mix. What does that say? Who are you?

A. That’s a good question. Who am I? Well, she’s a rescue mix and a foster fail. She’s a beautiful dog. I don’t think I fit the stereotype. I grew up with Labs. Did I see myself with a northern, cold-weather breed? Not exactly. But she’s an incredible dog. She’s the best.  |  The Washington Post