Dog Nation Recap

My first three shows in NYC, Philly, & Boston

Last week, we wrapped up the first three nights of Dog Nation, and I’m happy to say they were a doggone hit! Each night was filled with laughter, emotional stories, and of course, plenty of dogs.

I kicked off each night with what I call an “Amuse-pooch”, whetting everyone’s dog whistle with a bit of my backstory accompanied by some of my favorite dog photo series from over the years. Basically preaching to the dog-loving choir. I of course had to have Elsa by my side for this portion of the show, though she undoubtedly stole the show.

I then welcomed adoptable dogs from local shelters to join me on stage with their handlers, who spoke to each eligible dogs’ personalities and what their ideal homes would be. The one unexpected detail was that one of the adoptable dogs decided the stage was the *perfect* spot to go poo. In show business, they tell people “break a leg!”, so I guess the canine equivalent of that would be “Take a crap!”. Craps aside, all of these dogs did an amazing job on stage (and some of them are still available for adoption)!

In the next segment, I chatted with community members about how their dogs have changed their lives. Everyone shared their unique, heartwarming, and at times moving stories about their dogs. I followed each story with a live Dogist photoshoot on stage to give everyone a glimpse into what my photography process is like.

For the final segment of the night, I was joined by a special guest in each city for a panel of questions by our terrific moderator, author and journalist Anna Goldfarb. Mary Beth Barone joined me in New York with her dog Pinky, and gave a refreshing and hilarious monologue about the trials and tribulations of training your dog. In Philly, Taylor Hill shared the emotional story of her late dog Tate. I also managed to get her to demonstrate her dog voice, something many are not brave enough to do publicly! Finally, in Boston, Olivia Amato and her dog Tobi came on stage, and we chatted about the importance of rescue.

Each night was capped with one of my favorite parts – a Q&A segment with the audience. I loved hearing everyone’s questions and getting to chat with members of The Dogist community. I can’t thank everyone who came to one my shows enough; this show has been a major highlight of my career so far, and I hope to do many more in the future!

Tickets to my show in Chicago at Thalia Hall on June 16th are still available here! Each ticket include a copy of my new book, This Dog Will Change Your Life, out now! I hope to see you there!