Read the full transcript of Elias Weiss Friedman’s talk titled “The Unique Love Between Humans and Dogs” at TED Talks conference.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
The Dogist: Capturing Canine Joy
So you have a very popular platform, the Dogist. On Instagram alone, you have 7.6 million followers, so you bring a lot of joy to a lot of people around the world. And in your photographing of dogs, you also tell stories in the captions.
I’ve noticed a theme throughout these captions about the deep love people have for their dogs, sometimes in ways that seem to exceed the love they have for their people. I’m wondering if you could talk a little bit about that. The deep love people have for their dogs, sometimes in ways that seem to exceed the love they might even have for people.
Can you tell us about the uniqueness of the relationship between dogs and people that you’ve noticed?
The Power of Unconditional Love
“Yeah. You know, I’ve photographed something like 50,000 dogs in the last 11 years all around the world, mostly in New York. But one of the sentiments and stories I hear most often is this idea of unconditional love. And the common thing is, I’ve had a hard day, I’m stressed out, someone cut me off in traffic, and I come home, and my dog is looking at me like this, and it all washes away.”
“And so that’s a really powerful thing. And dogs are so generous with their love, and they’re also really generous with their eye contact. You know, that’s something I try and capture is this directness.”
“But, you know, like you’re saying, it’s sort of like a more simple relationship than we have with people. You know, if I come home, Elsa’s there to greet me, and she wants a belly rub. And, you know, Sam, my fiancé, is also there to greet me. And generally, she goes, hey, honey. But, you know, maybe she’s had a day. Or, you know, I left the towel on the bed again. You know, it’s not as simple as it is with a dog who just looks at you like this. That’s my dog, Elsa. And she’s a rescue from Texas. She wishes she could have been here.”
Dogs Around the World
So in your travels, you’ve photographed dogs all over the world. And I’ve noticed in your writing that you note the differences in cultures about how people relate to dogs based on where you are. Will you tell us about some of your most favorite cultures around dogs?
“Yeah. I mean, I think there’s a universal thing around dogs. Like, that’s one of the great things about my job, is I can travel anywhere. You know, just yesterday, I was walking around Atlanta, meeting people and their dogs. But, you know, there’s some trends. Like in L.A., people are… The dogs are in people’s cars with them. So they spend even more time with their dogs.”
“You know, I’ve traveled around the world. Like, places… Like, that last image was in the U.K., a dog called Tuppence at a pub. And I just thought that was a quintessential thing that you don’t see quite as often in the States. Hopefully more often. And, you know, the next picture is… I think it was taken in Maine. Or this is in Pisa.”
“But there’s just sort of this universal thing where I can travel anywhere and find a dog and relate to someone and connect with someone. You know, if I’m photographing people, they may not be as interested. Because, like, oh, what’s this about? But as soon as I start talking about their dog, they’re like, oh, sure, like, how do you want him? Let me get the eye boogers out.”
“This was kind of a funny one. I was in Croatia. And they often have these town dogs that are just roaming around the entire time while you’re out having dinner. And I asked the local, like, what’s this dog? And he’s like, oh, that’s Juti. Which means yellow in Croatian. So I was trying to get a picture of Juti, and I captured him. But, you know, maybe he lives in one place, but he wanders around. The whole town is his.”
“Yes. And this was in Switzerland, obviously. This was at the St. Bernard Museum. That was a fun trip. And, you know, one of the things I gleaned from that trip was, like, in places in Europe and Switzerland, they take dogs very seriously. Like, in order to become a breeder, you need to go to a dog training class or something, and I appreciate that. Sort of, like, they’re part of our family. Whereas I think in the United States, sometimes we’re like, there’s no rules about breeding. And that’s why we sometimes have overpopulation.”
Service Dogs: Transforming Lives
Let’s talk about service dogs for a moment. So I, any time I go to the airport, and I see a service dog, I cry. In a good way. Because I just think it’s so amazing that they can do work for us in such a crazy environment. But they have so many other functions. They do so much for people, and there’s so much research about post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. I imagine you’ve met a lot of folks who have really benefited from service dogs. So we’d love to hear some stories.
“Yeah. I mean, there’s all types of service dogs, like the therapy dogs you see at the airport. They’re usually impaired people. But I’ve done this series over the years with this organization called America’s Vet Dogs. And they raise and train lab mixes for veterans, and they often have PTSD. This is a series I did with this woman named Sharon and her dog Eddie.”
“And it sort of started as this typical, you know, I’m meeting this woman at her house, and we’re going to chat. And I get there, and, you know, she’s demonstrating the different things Eddie can do, nightmare interruption, if she’s having a nightmare, she’ll come up and nudge her awake or pick up her keys or turn the lights on, and that’s all sort of typical.
And she was normal. And she was an RN. She was a nurse in the Army. And so she, you know, has seen people at their worst, you know, and it’s hard to come back and just forget that or reintegrate.”
“But it wasn’t until later in the day that I went to their headquarters of America’s Vet Dogs and spoke with the president. And she was like, I heard you met Sharon. I was like, yeah, I did. And she was like, you know, when she came to us, she was nonverbal and shaken. Sorry. It chokes me up sometimes talking about this.”
“But, you know, Eddie, her dog, made her the way she is now, and that’s so transformative and powerful. It’s like, what else? There are all types of drugs and what’s, you know, it didn’t work as well. And she came across as someone who was articulate and thoughtful with her dog, and her dog empowers her that way.”
“Later in the day, I met Nathan in the same program, America’s Vet Dogs. He was a retired veteran from the Air Force. He was in charge of, as he called it, nukes, the nuclear division. And as you can imagine, like, in that role, you have to be perfect all the time. If they ask you, are you good? Yes, sir, I am good, even if you’re not good. So you just sort of… He was describing it as he became robotic and it dehumanized him.”
“And when he retired, it’s like, how do you just reintegrate? And it was really hard for him. He was completely asocial and wouldn’t leave the house. And he just… America’s Vet Dogs offered him this dog and this training program. And, you know, I’m sure, you know, there are multiple factors, but now, you know, he’s a public speaker, like, the opposite of what he was before. And it’s like, how do you pinpoint… It’s hard to quantify what the power of a dog is, but it’s real.”
“Yeah. And, you know, it’s amazing. And then… So this is my buddy Angus. And, you know, he’s not a veteran. He’s not a visually impaired person. He’s not someone who automatically, sort of, you would think qualifies for a service dog. But he’s someone who has serious trouble with anxiety and depression he’s had for a long time. He’s on all types of drugs, which have all types of side effects.”
“And he, you know, came to me, he’s like, dude, he’s like, what would you think if I had a dog? Like, do you think that’d be a good idea? And I think that, you know, that’d be a great idea. And then I get a call that he’s like, I’m at the airport, I’m flying to Wyoming to pick up, to meet a potential service dog for myself. You know, he found some breed that specializes in it.”
“And, you know, a month later, this dog arrives, and this is the first moment that they’ve met. And, like, what… Like, there’s no person you’d just meet and stare at them so deeply in their eyes and have this instantly powerful effect.”
“And, you know, he loves this dog, and he’s never alone anymore. And, you know, he is single, and he goes on dates, and sometimes the dates don’t work. And he would have this fear and this spiral of going home to nothing and not being okay and feeling rejected. And he was telling me, like, now with Opal, he doesn’t have that fear anymore. It’s like, if it doesn’t work out, you know, I’m good. Opal is going to be there waiting for me, and she’s probably hungry, I’m going to take her for a walk. Like, it’s the opposite of this spiral.”
“It’s beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. And this is back at the vet dog’s headquarters. This is Maggie, who’s a facility service dog. So instead of having one handler, she helps with lots of people, like, in a hospital or something. And I was just having a regular Tuesday in whatever mood I was. And taking pictures of Maggie, learning about her. I did a nightmare interruption. And she said, do you want Maggie to give you a hug? She’s a big hugger. I said, okay, yeah, sure. And I, you know, get down on my knee, and she comes up and just embraces me in this really trained way. It’s not like a dog jumping up on you.”
“But instantly, I was like… I felt this, like, my emotions, like, my day was completely different. It was this powerful force of happiness. And I didn’t realize that I needed it before. But Maggie made me realize that I did need it.”
“Yeah, that you were not in the best mood, perhaps. Yeah, you know, they’re just, like, whatever mood you’re in, they’re going to enhance it, you know? That’s awesome.”
The Dogist’s Personal Journey
So you grew up with a lot of dogs. And you started the Dogist in… There’s baby Elias, so cute. And you started the Dogist in 2013, and you didn’t have a dog then, because you were like, I need to travel and take these photos. So when you finally did get a dog recently, last few years, right, how has that changed your perspective on your work?
“Yeah, I mean, it was sort of like my little secret, like, the Dogist doesn’t have a dog. And I sort of decided that, you know, I need to travel and meet other people’s dogs. I have dogstalgia. You know, I’m single, I’m not ready for a dog. But then, during the pandemic, I decided to foster, and I met Elsa. She came up from Texas. And she was amazing. Like, she campaigned for my heart, and she won. And I was like, well, you know, it’s time for me to grow up a bit.”
“And, you know, I fell in love with her. And she just sort of… You know, a lot of people say, like, they open another chamber of your heart. And she did. And she, you know, deepened my appreciation for other people’s relationships with their dogs. You know, it’s like, it’s hard to know unless you have your own dog, like, what that feels like.”
“You know, when I got Elsa, my fiancé and I got engaged. You know, it’s just sort of like a catalyst for love, you know?”
“That’s awesome. Well, may we all feel the kind of love that Elias feels with Elsa. Thank you so much, Elias.”
