(from The Happiness Lab PodCast)
When life gets stressful, people look for different ways to feel better. Some listen to music. Some go for long walks. Others spend time in nature or play sports. And for many people, one of the best sources of happiness is surprisingly simple: dogs.
That’s exactly what photographer and social media creator Elias Weiss Friedman discovered.
You may know him better as “The Dogist,” the man famous for taking photos of dogs in New York City. For more than ten years, Elias has walked through parks and streets asking strangers one simple question:
“Can I take a picture of your dog?”
It sounds simple, but his project became incredibly popular because it’s about much more than dogs. It’s really about people, connection, happiness, and the small moments that make life feel lighter.
Elias believes dogs can change lives — and after hearing his story, it’s hard not to agree.
A Childhood Full of Dogs
Dogs were important to Elias from the very beginning of his life.
When he was very young, his grandmother briefly left him outside with her black Labrador, Oreo. A few minutes later, she came back and realized Elias was gone.
Everyone panicked. The police and firefighters were called. But luckily, a landscaper found little Elias near the road — with Oreo carefully keeping him safe and away from traffic.
In a way, Oreo became Elias’s first hero.
As he grew older, dogs continued helping him in quieter ways too. Elias describes himself as a shy child. Talking to people was difficult sometimes, but dogs felt safe and easy.
Unlike humans, dogs don’t worry about looking awkward or saying the wrong thing. They simply exist.
That freedom inspired him.
At home, Elias used to create funny “voices” for his dog Ruby. He would pretend Ruby was talking to the family:
“Hey, why don’t you pet me anymore?”
The silly jokes made everyone laugh, but they also helped Elias express himself more naturally. Through dogs, he found confidence.
Losing a Job — and Finding a Purpose
Years later, Elias worked at a company in New York City. He had a good job in marketing and branding, but one rainy day, everything changed.
He was called into an office and told he was being fired.
At first, it felt terrible. Nobody enjoys losing a job. But surprisingly, after the shock passed, Elias felt something else too: freedom.
For the first time, he asked himself an important question:
“What do I actually want to do with my life?”
The answer came quickly.
He wanted to spend time with dogs.
At the time, social media was still growing, and people were experimenting with creative ideas online. Elias already loved photography, so he started walking around New York taking pictures of dogs he met on the street.
One day, he photographed a French bulldog in Brooklyn. After taking the photo, the owner asked:
“What’s this for?”
Without thinking, Elias answered:
“The Dogist.”
The name stayed.
What began almost as a joke slowly became a worldwide success. Millions of people started following his account because the photos felt joyful, funny, and comforting.
In a world full of stressful news and arguments online, dogs offered something refreshing.
As Elias says, dogs don’t care if their ears look weird in a photo. They don’t ask people to delete pictures. They don’t spend time worrying about what others think of them.
Honestly, humans could learn a lot from that attitude.
Why Dogs Make Us Happier
Science shows that dogs really can improve our happiness and health.
For one thing, they get us moving. Dogs need walks, and that means owners spend more time outside, exercising, and getting fresh air.
But dog walks are about more than exercise.
They create routines.
You wake up earlier. You spend time outdoors. You notice the weather, the trees, the people around you.
And something interesting happens when you walk a dog regularly: you start meeting people.
Elias has a perfect expression for this:
“Before you get a dog, you know your neighbor. After you get a dog, you know your neighborhood.”
It’s true.
Dogs naturally start conversations. Two strangers might completely ignore each other on the street, but if their dogs stop to say hello, suddenly the humans begin talking too.
That’s why Elias calls dogs “furry icebreakers.”
Dogs create social connections in a very natural way.
And today, that matters more than ever.
Many people spend hours looking at screens and very little time having real conversations. Loneliness has become extremely common.
But dogs pull us back into the real world.
They make people stop, smile, laugh, and share stories.
Dogs Help People Relax
One reason people love talking about their dogs is because dogs help us lower our emotional walls.
People often feel nervous talking about themselves. They worry about sounding strange or being judged.
But when talking about dogs, people suddenly become open, funny, and honest.
A story about a dog often becomes a story about love, loneliness, family, or healing.
And dogs also provide something humans sometimes struggle to give each other consistently: unconditional love.
At the end of a difficult day, a dog doesn’t care if your meeting went badly or if you made mistakes.
The dog is simply excited that you came home.
That happiness can completely change someone’s mood.
Research even shows that being around dogs can lower stress and reduce feelings of pain.
Dogs are also incredibly sensitive to human emotions. Many owners believe their dogs can tell when they’re sad, anxious, or overwhelmed.
Sometimes it almost feels like dogs understand us better than people do.
Learning from Dogs
According to Elias, one of the biggest lessons dogs teach us is how to be less self-conscious.
Dogs don’t spend time worrying about their reputation. They aren’t embarrassed to be silly. They express emotions freely — happiness, fear, excitement, confusion.
Humans, on the other hand, often overthink everything.
We worry about how we look, what we say, or whether people are judging us.
Dogs remind us how freeing it can be to simply be ourselves.
Elias believes this is one reason shy people often love dogs so much. Dogs make social situations feel easier.
When you’re walking with a dog, conversations happen naturally.
You become more relaxed, more open, and more confident almost without noticing.
Dogs and Healing
Some of the most emotional stories Elias shares involve service dogs — specially trained dogs that help people with disabilities or emotional trauma.
He met veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who said service dogs completely transformed their lives.
One woman named Sharon had experienced severe trauma while working as an army nurse. Before receiving her service dog, she struggled so much that she barely spoke to people.
Her dog helped her feel safe again.
Another veteran named Nathan had spent years working in a high-pressure military environment where he constantly had to appear strong and emotionless.
After retiring, he became isolated and withdrawn.
But with the help of a service dog, he slowly rebuilt his confidence and social life.
Years later, he became an outgoing public speaker.
Stories like these show that dogs don’t just make life more fun — they can genuinely help people heal.
Finally Getting His Own Dog
Ironically, during the early years of The Dogist, Elias didn’t actually own a dog himself.
He spent his days photographing thousands of dogs, but he worried that getting one might change his creativity or freedom.
Then the pandemic arrived, and life slowed down.
That’s when he met Elsa, a beautiful white husky mix with blue eyes.
And immediately, he knew she was special.
Now Elias describes himself proudly as “a husky guy.”
He talks about Elsa almost like she’s a funny roommate with a strong personality. She knows which family member gives bigger pieces of chicken. She understands routines. She keeps life interesting.
And after years spent photographing other people’s dogs, Elias finally understood the daily joy dog owners talked about all the time.
Thinking About Getting a Dog?
Elias believes getting a dog can be wonderful — but only if people are truly prepared.
Dogs need time, money, training, attention, and responsibility.
Too many people choose dogs impulsively because a breed looks cute online or because they want a puppy immediately.
Instead, Elias encourages people to research carefully and even consider adopting from shelters.
Many shelter dogs are already trained adults with loving personalities who simply need a home.
And according to Elias, rescue dogs often seem to understand that they were saved.
There’s a special connection there.
A Better World Because of Dogs
At the end of the day, dogs remind us of something simple but important:
Happiness often comes from basic human experiences.
Going outside.
Being playful.
Talking to people.
Living in the present moment.
Showing affection.
Laughing more.
Dogs help bring us back to those things.
And maybe that’s why people love them so much.
Because in a complicated world, dogs make life feel simpler, warmer, and a little more human.
