On A Mission w/ Topher Brophy

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Lessons Learned From Being A Dog Dad

About The Episode

Growing up in New York City, Topher Brophy wasn’t allowed to have any animals where he was living. However, his parents decided to bend the rules and get a kitten, who would turn out to be a crucial part of childhood for Topher and help him get through the trials and tribulations of dealing with early growing pains. It provided an early foundation on how important animals are to us as humans.

In early adulthood, Topher was feeling like a zombie – numb to life, not understanding his emotions, and not having a real sense of who he was as a person. Over time, by going to therapy and educating himself about what he was going through, he realized what he might need in his life was to restore that animal connection in his life and bring in a dog. That turned out to be Rosenberg, an Aussie-Doodle, who immediately proved his instinct to be true.

Through caring for another being and learning from an animal we have co-evolved with, Topher started to see the world differently. Through channeling the focus of care that he felt for Rosenberg, he was reminded that we are rooted in love and we should use that as our guiding principle in how we interact with others. Topher was also able to connect with a network of (dog) people who also had a deep love for animals, finally finding a community after feeling so disconnected for so long. Rosenberg quickly became his love battery, identity decoder, and confidence booster.

While he has primarily been working in visual mediums, such as his wonderful images with Rosenberg, Topher always wanted to be a writer. So when the pandemic hit, Topher knew it was a perfect time to communicate the magic of animal companionship and the importance of having them in our lives. His new book Dog Dad, looks at that positive power and about Topher's own transformational journey alongside both Rosenberg and now his entire pack – which includes his wife, their two kids, and another recent dog (Heaven).

Within the book, Topher writes his own 'Dog Dad Manifesto' in one chapter that speaks to the most important lessons. These include how dogs bring us back into harmony with nature, allow us to recapture the gift of innocence that we're born with, enforce the importance of play, and how crucial the structure of a family and pack can be together. If we are open to learning from them, dogs can serve as great examples for how to act – and even trying to live our lives making our dogs proud, being who they think we are. Kind, loving, caring, respectful.

Dog Dad is a true testament that our furry friends are not just our pets, they're our family. It's a reminder to always work as a unit, as one pack, through unconditional love, empathy, and respect. And with the proceeds being donated to American Humane, an organization committed to ensuring the well-being of all animals, Topher is making good on his mission to help people, help animals, and bring out the best in all of us.

About The Guest - Topher Brophy

Topher Brophy is an artist and author who is best known for elaborate photos of him and his dog, Rosenberg, who bear a striking resemblance. Topher and his wife Chantal The Dog Styler – who works with him on their popular Instagram page of fun and fantastical photos – have made it their mission to focus on socially conscious campaigns and spreading positive messages to uplift their viewers around the world. Now in his new book, Dog Dad: How Animals Bring Out the Best in Us and Can Help Save the World, Topher writes about the strong bonds that we have with dogs and the lessons we can learn from them.

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InterviewJack SommerMental Health, Family, Authors