Blink Book Review: “This Dog Will Change Your Life” by Elias Weiss Friedman
August 11, 2026
By Reba Hull Campbell
Dog people know exactly how this happens. You pick up a book thinking it will be about dogs, and halfway through you’re smiling (or maybe crying) about how the stories connect to your own dog history.
That’s exactly what happened to me with Elias Weiss Friedman’s “This Dog Will Change Your Life.” 
The author got his start photographing dogs when he was laid off from a soul-dulling marketing job in New York City. He took the creative leap to try something (two things actually) that filled his heart – photography and dogs – leading him to become the self-described “dog-umentarian” called “The Dogist” (I love a good pun and dog puns abound throughout the book).
This book had me listening any spare minute I found. Then I went to the library and checked out the hard copy version so I could go back and read some of the passages I loved most – one of my favorite tricks when I initially listen to an audiobook.
The book chronicles highlights from the thousands of times Elias has stopped a dog and his person on the streets of New York City and asked “Do you mind if I photograph your dog?” Apparently he is quite well known on the streets of NYC as a “dog influencer,” but his photography work and his clear love of dogs were new to me.
The author tells great stories of his early dog-loving life as a kid. A favorite of mine was when he submitted a video of his family pup eating corn on the cob to a funniest dog video show. He won. I connected on that story when I recalled how thrilled I was when the local billboard company chose our Flossie to be featured in their National Dog Day billboard series.
Anyone who has ever rescued/adopted a dog will feel the connection to Chapter Nine that speaks in detail about adopting dogs – something we’ve done three times. This chapter also includes my favorite dog name of the whole book – Lunchbox (almost as good as the dog named 6:30 in “Lessons in Chemistry”).
I believe there’s a special place in the universe for writers who can script a good dog story – and use dog puns frequently and appropriately. Plus Friedman gets extra credit because he also takes beautiful photos (although you’ll need to read other books he’s written to experience his photography talent).
One of my favorite passages in this book sums up the human/canine relationship perfectly.
“Dogs are a universal currency. They mean the same thing in more places than they mean different things.” (Chapter 13)
As I read this book, I found myself reflecting back on dog books that have fed my soul, tickled my funny bone, or brought me to tears. Part of why I love to read is to learn how to be the kind of writer of stories I would want to read. These books all taught me something about dogs and about writing. (Read my review of my other favorite dog photographer book, “The Year of the Dog” by Vincent Musi.)
This author sure can weave a waggy tale (or is it tail?), so I’m adding this book to my ever-growing list of favorite dog books. Check out the list here.
In 2022, Reba Campbell set out to get off the screens and back to books for the summer. Her accountability was writing short Blink Book Reviews (so short you can read them in a blink). Now it’s an annual summer thing here. Join Reba’s Blink Book Review Facebook group to follow along. Reba is president of Columbia, SC-based The Medway Group and can be reached at [email protected].
