Whether you went into the pandemic with a dog at home or acquired one or two or seven partway through, pet owners know that the past two years have provided vast quantities of quality time with their four-legged charges. Perhaps you found yourself speaking to your furry friends. Perhaps you started reading to them. Or dressing them up in human clothes and making them sit at the dinner table and engage in political debates. No judgment—it’s been a long, lonely haul. Almost certainly, you and your dog have started to look a lot more alike. Sans haircuts, or reasons to put on pants, we humans have all let loose our inner feral selves. And, when you spend enough time staring deeply into your dog’s eyes, you might begin to notice that he seems more human than the bobbing faces in the squares on your computer. In fact, the venerable BBC informs us, “Dogs look like their owners—it’s a scientific fact.” Ditto the venerable Disney, which depicted the phenomenon in its 1961 adaptation of “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.” This week, in celebration of our Style & Design Issue, five cartoonists—Emily Bernstein, Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, Jason Adam Katzenstein, Carolita Johnson, and Jeremy Nguyen—fanned out across the city to find people who match their dogs. Read on to see some of the most striking duos, and follow us on Instagram to see more drawings, inspired by reader-submitted photos.
Alberto & Rocky
Maria Hernandez Park, Brooklyn
Alberto has lived in Bushwick for thirty years. Rocky, his Cane Corso, is seven months old.
Elissa & Arthur
Washington Square Park, Manhattan
Arthur, a one-year-old Wheaten terrier, “loves pizza, like a true New Yorker,” Elissa says.
Nelson & Coco
Sunnyside Gardens, Queens
Coco’s vest came with the AC/DC patch, but Nelson added the other flair himself.
Camila & Frida
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
We spotted Camila and Frida enjoying a warm day in the park. Frida is a ten-year-old Lhasa Apso—named for Frida Kahlo, of course.
Alan & Sophie
Central Park, Manhattan
People often stop and remark on Sophie’s good looks, Alan says. If they look alike, he says, maybe they’re talking about him, too!
Aaron & Della
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Della—short for mortadella—was adopted from the Animal Care Center of Brooklyn.
John & Daisy
Central Park, Manhattan
“We’re both high-energy and love making friends,” John says, referring to his Labrador. (Plus, they dress alike.)
Brette & Freddie
