Elias Weiss Friedman | Founder, The Dogist Company

For more than a decade, Elias Weiss Friedman has built The Dogist by doing something simple, consistently: stopping people on the street, photographing their dogs, and asking them to tell their stories.

What started as a photography project has since grown into one of the most recognizable brands in the dog world, spanning books, video, events, philanthropy, partnerships, and a social community of millions. But Friedman's next chapter takes The Dogist somewhere new: from documenting life with dogs to making products for them.

Through The Dogist Company, Friedman is moving into health and wellness, beginning with Vitality, a daily antioxidant chew developed with board-certified veterinary nutritionist Dr. Angela Rollins.

The opportunity is significant, but so is the challenge. Friedman has spent more than a decade building trust with dog owners. Now he has to prove that trust can extend from the stories people watch on their phones to products they give their dogs every day.

We spoke with Elias about making the leap from media to consumer products, why supplements were the starting point, what he's learned from photographing tens of thousands of dogs, building a physical-product business for the first time, and how far The Dogist can ultimately go beyond the feed.

The Dogist started as a photography project, but it has become something much bigger: books, a massive social audience, a TED Talk, a digital series, philanthropy, and now consumer products. When did you first realize The Dogist could become a brand that existed beyond the content itself?

I don't think there was one moment when I decided The Dogist should become a brand. It evolved pretty organically. I started by photographing dogs on the street because I loved dogs and photography, but over time it became clear that people weren't just following for my photographs. They were connecting to the relatable stories, the dog community, and this shared experience of what it means to be a dog parent and love a dog.

That opened up books, video, events, philanthropy, and partnerships, but for a long time the business was still largely built around content. The bigger realization was that The Dogist didn't have to be defined by a medium. Photography is where it started, but the mission is really about helping people experience the best possible life with their dogs.

Once I started thinking about it that way, there were a lot more possibilities. The Dogist Company is probably the biggest step I have taken in that direction because I am moving from documenting and celebrating life with dogs to actually creating products that can become part of that life.

You've spent more than a decade building trust with your audience, and now you're extending that trust into supplements. How much did that responsibility shape the formulation and development of the product?

It shaped everything. The trust I've built with my audience is probably the most valuable thing The Dogist has, and I don't take putting The Dogist name on something a dog is going to consume lightly.

I worked with Dr. Angela Rollins, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, to develop Vitality, and I spent a lot of time discussing with her what should and shouldn't go into it. The formulation is intentionally focused: blueberry powder, pomegranate powder, curcumin, vitamin E and black pepper, built around the role antioxidants play in supporting immune health and a healthy inflammatory response.

I also didn't want to make exaggerated claims. There is a lot of marketing in the supplement category that can make it difficult for dog parents to understand what their dogs actually need. My goal was to create something credible, easy to understand, and easy to make part of a dog's daily routine, something I'd feel good about giving my dog Elsa every day.

Your new vitality chew is a pretty significant departure from anything you've done before. Where did the idea come from, and why was a supplement the first product you wanted to launch?

After photographing and talking to dog people for more than a decade, there's one thing I hear constantly: "I want my dog to live forever."

In everything I've done with The Dogist, I've celebrated what dogs give us. The Dogist Company really came from asking the reverse question: what can I give back to them? I wanted to create products that could meaningfully support the health and well-being of dogs and become part of how people care for them every day.

Vitality felt like the right place to start because supporting a dog's health is foundational to giving them the best life possible. I worked with Dr. Angela Rollins, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, to develop a daily antioxidant chew designed to support healthy aging, joints, brain health and everyday vitality. It represents what I want The Dogist Company to stand for: thoughtful, trusted products that help us give back to the dogs who give us so much.

You've photographed tens of thousands of dogs over the past decade. After spending that much time around dogs and their owners, what have you come to understand about the relationship between people and their dogs that you didn't understand when you started?

I knew people loved their dogs. I don't think I understood how deeply dogs become woven into every aspect of people's lives.

They're there through relationships, breakups, moves, new jobs, illnesses, children, deaths, everything. I'll stop someone because I think their dog is interesting, and five minutes later they're telling me something incredibly personal about their life. Dogs have this ability to remove the normal barriers between people. Dogs don't have an ego, and they help us look past ours, even if for a few moments.

I've also become much more aware of time. A dog's life is much shorter than ours, so there's this underlying awareness that the time you have together is finite. I think that's part of why dogs are so good at teaching us to be present. They're not worried about next year. They're excited that you're home.

The Dogist started as a project about dogs, but I've probably learned just as much about people from doing it.

You've photographed dogs belonging to everyone from people you meet on the street to some of the most famous people in the world. Is there one dog, owner, or encounter that still really sticks with you?

About a year ago, I met a woman and her Rhodesian Ridgeback in downtown NYC. She told me that without her dogs, she would not have been able to live through her cancer treatment. Her dogs kept her spirits high, her body moving, and gave her the motivation to get outside and socialize, even when things felt most bleak. She told me this story through tears, and the candor of her story not only highlighted the power of dogs to heal us, but I was proud that The Dogist community was there to give her a big virtual hug.

You're a photographer, but so much of what you do really comes down to storytelling. Was that something that came naturally to you, or is it a skill you've consciously developed over the years?

The photography came first, but I learned pretty quickly that the photograph wasn't the whole story.

The questions became just as important. Over time I've learned how to ask enough to open the door and then get out of the way. It's rare these days to hear someone speak entirely freely about something they love. It's liberating just to witness it. In a sense, we're getting to know why every dog wags its tail.

I've definitely gotten better at it over the years, but curiosity has always been the foundation of The Dogist. I'm genuinely interested in why this particular dog matters to this particular person. Once I start there, the stories tend to reveal themselves.

You're also launching a collaboration with Clare V around pet accessories and apparel. Between wellness, accessories, media, books, and partnerships, how do you decide what belongs under The Dogist umbrella - and what doesn't?

I've become more disciplined about that as The Dogist has grown.

The Dogist is the storytelling, media, and community platform. That can naturally extend into books, entertainment, collaborations, events, and philanthropy. The Dogist Company is the health and wellness business I'm building, beginning with our Vitality chew.

But the filter for me across everything is similar: does this genuinely make life with your dog better, healthier, more joyful, or more connected? I have always wanted to be a light in the world. So if something with The Dogist ecosystem has brightened your life with your dog or put a smile on a dog person's face, I've achieved my goal.

The Clare V collaboration came from seeing a real gap in the pet accessories market. There are endless products for dogs, but I don't think there are enough that are exceptionally well made, thoughtfully designed, and timeless - things you actually want to live with, wear, and use every day. Dog accessories are part of your life and your personal style, so why shouldn't they be designed with the same level of care as the things you buy for yourself?

That's what made Clare V such a natural partner. Clare has such a distinct point of view around design, quality, and timelessness, and she's also a genuine dog person. The collaboration gave us an opportunity to create pieces together that feel elevated and considered without losing the joy and personality that comes with having a dog.

That's ultimately what I look for in any extension of The Dogist: there needs to be a real reason for it to exist and a partner who I am aligned with.

The Dogist Fund and your work with animal welfare organizations have become a big part of what you do. As The Dogist continues to evolve, how do you want to use that growth to help more dogs?

The bigger The Dogist becomes, the greater the responsibility I have to help dogs that need it.

The Dogist Fund is dedicated to improving the lives of dogs in need and humans in need of dogs. That means supporting shelters and rescue organizations, but also non-profit working dogs and programs that recognize the incredible role dogs can play in people's lives. Over the years, my work has helped raise funds for rescue shelters, working dogs, and rehabilitation centers.

The audience is an important part of that impact, too. I've seen what can happen when millions of people suddenly learn about a dog that needs a home, an organization that needs support, or an important issue affecting dogs. The outpouring of support over the years has been inspiring to be a part of.

And as I build The Dogist Company, I will continue that mission of giving back. A portion of proceeds from The Dogist Company will support The Dogist Fund, so as the company grows, its ability to give back grows with it.

I don't see philanthropy as a separate piece of The Dogist. Celebrating how much dogs give us also means recognizing our responsibility to give back to them. It's all part of the same mission.

What has been the most challenging part of building a physical-product business that you didn't fully anticipate going into it?

The biggest learning curve has been understanding how many decisions have to happen long before a product ever reaches someone's dog. With content, I can have an idea, make it, and put it into the world relatively quickly. Building a physical product is a completely different endeavor.

There's formulation, testing, sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, inventory, fulfillment – and all of those pieces have to work together. I've also learned how important it is to anticipate what you're going to need months from now rather than what you need today.

It's a challenge, but all good things are. After more than a decade of building The Dogist primarily through storytelling, there's something incredibly rewarding about creating a tangible product that can become part of a dog's everyday life.

You've built one of the largest and most engaged dog audiences on social media. As you move into physical products, how much will you rely on that organic audience, and what other marketing channels are you looking at?

The community I've built with The Dogist means everything to me. What started with me photographing dogs on the streets of New York has grown into millions of people around the world who are connected by one universal truth: love of dogs. People stop me on the street every day to tell me what The Dogist has meant to them. I don't really think of it as an audience anymore. It's a community, and I experience every day how powerful that community is.

Dogs have been saved because of it. People have come together to help dogs in need and support families going through incredibly difficult situations, like the LA wildfires, where we raised over $200K for recovery efforts. Friendships and relationships have formed through The Dogist, even marriages. I've also received countless messages from people who found The Dogist during a difficult moment in their own lives and felt that it helped them through it in a profound way. Dogs have an extraordinary ability to heal and bring people together, and I've watched this community prove that over and over again.

That community and the trust built over more than a decade are the foundation for everything that comes next. The Dogist Company is a natural extension of that relationship, and I plan to introduce its products in a way that feels personal to me and true to how I've always shared things with this community. But the products still have to earn their own place in people's lives.

At the same time, I'm thinking a lot about what The Dogist can become beyond the platforms where it started. We're expanding into longer-form storytelling with DOGS with Elias Weiss Friedman on YouTube, growing on TikTok, and creating new ways for people to experience The Dogist and connect around their shared love of dogs.

But what I'm most excited about is creating more ways for dog people to find and connect with each other. The Dogist started in real life, meeting dogs and their people on the street, and I want to bring more of that into this next chapter. It's my favorite part of the job. The Dogist Walks are one part of it, and there is much more coming, both in real life and online, that will give this community new ways to connect, help one another, help dogs, and experience that sense of community beyond the feed.

I've seen what can happen when you bring dogs and their people together. I want to build more ways for that to happen.