Meet the Nice Jewish Boy Behind the Insanely Cute ‘Dogist’ Instagram
Meet Elias Weiss Friedman, a nice Jewish boy who left corporate life behind to make a living taking pictures of cute dogs all over New York City.
After getting laid off in 2013, Friedman started an Instagram account that showcased pictures of adorable dogs. He called it The Dogist. Nearly 5,500 posts, 2.6 million followers and two anthology books later, Friedman has made a career out of Insta-perfect dog portraits.
Friedman’s tricks of the trade include wearing kneepads, to get up close and personal with his subjects, and pockets filled with dog treats.
If it sounds like a doggie dream job — well, it probably is. But Friedman still puts in the hours, pounding New York pavement every day of the year in search of ‘Gram-able pups.
“I don’t take days off because my life would be less exciting without The Dogist,” Friedman told Buzzfeed. “I somehow found great purpose in carrying a camera and a squeaky tennis ball, so why miss any opportunity to put them to use, especially when it makes so many people happy?”
Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO