A Dog's Journey to Mayoral Glory and the Power of Friendship
How It All Began
Sophie Vershbow and her friends first gained attention when they celebrated the "adoptaversary" of their beloved dog Sweeper. As Sweeper's owner Juliana was away, the group took him out for a special lunch. "My friend Juliana was going out of town the week of Sweeper's 10th adoptaversary. Our friend Emma was watching Sweeper and Juliana Venmo'ed us $100 for the whole group to go and take Sweeper out. We were all extremely thrilled as we've known Sweeper his entire life," Vershbow shares. Sweeper was the first dog to join the group, and since then, more furry friends have come into their lives.Juliana was the first, Sweeper's mom, but we've always been a very dog-loving group. Unfortunately, one of the first dogs passed away, which was a terrible loss. But then a friend got married to someone with a dog, and another friend adopted a dog with her partner. I also adopted my dog. It's really become a core part of our friendship, with a very active group text filled with dog photos.
The Dog Mayor Election
That same group text had more to celebrate when Vershbow's own dog, Simon, was elected the Dog Mayor of New York City. "We were invited to participate in the Dog Mayor election by Stephen, the founder of Dog Mayor NYC. All the candidates were invited to join. It was just a fun thing to do during a stressful time like the election," Vershbow says. Discovering that Simon had won was a hilarious moment for her. "I'm fielding press calls for my dog while doing my work-from-home job. I find the humor in everything, and this is just too funny. There's also been a lot of support, which is nice as people are having a tough time. It's nice to provide a little positivity on the Internet."Simon and Vershbow will use their platform to advocate for others to grow their fur families through local rescues. "I've always tried to use Simon's socials to advocate for rescue issues. He's adopted from Hearts and Bones, an incredible organization. It's an opportunity to spread goodness and get more dogs adopted and more money for these organizations. I'm grateful to have this to channel my energy into over the next few years."
The Power of Pet Love
Vershbow hopes these happy dog stories will encourage people to cherish their pets. "I believe in celebrating little things as life isn't always easy. Our pets are family and bring us so much joy. When I take my dog out to the same restaurant I took Sweeper to for his adoptaversary, I know he doesn't understand, but they sense our energy and enjoy being with us. It's nice for them too."Despite some people calling her crazy on social media for doing so much for a dog, she stands by her actions. "They bring us a lot of joy in our lives, so it's fun to do a little thing for them sometimes."