Two of a Kind: Dogs Who Look Like Their Owner

Man's Best Friend doubles as a mirror in this whimsical volume of uncannily accurate pictures. Larry Bercow's lens captures the nearly-identical presence and personality of more than 40 dogs and their owners, from shaggy and laid-back to perfectly groomed and posed, and every variation in between. Each photo includes text that gives readers further insight into the special bond shared by these pooches and their people.

Humorous, charming photographs
Who hasn’t walked down the street and remarked on how much a dog and its owner look alike? Perhaps it was the hair color, a facial feature like eyes, or even, sometimes, girth. Does the owner realize these similarities exist? Two of a Kind shows what we’ve all noticed in our neighborhoods, or maybe even in ourselves—that owners and their dogs truly do look alike. Whether it’s the shape of the ears or nose, color of the eyes or hair and coat, many owners bare an uncanny resemblance to the dogs that share their lives. But as we took these photographs and looked at them later, we noticed a different kind of resemblance as well. Sometimes an owner and her dog are looking back with the same facial expression, or they will hold their head at the same angle. Other times, their eyes seem to be saying the same thing. In a sequence of photographs, owner and dog constantly change expression, but in each photograph, they have the same expression as each other. The owner and his dog shared a disposition—an outlook on life and on the moment—as well as a look. Setting out to photograph people who look like their dogs promised to be a daunting task. Approach strangers on the street—on the streets of New York, no less—and tell them they look like their canine companion? Of course, the reality turned out to be the exact opposite of what we expected. Many owners were downright flattered, and it became clear to us that dogs were like surrogate children to the owners. Well, that must explain the physical similarities. Owners cooked for their dogs, talked to their dogs constantly, and boasted about their accomplishments. We met a wide range of wonderful people putting this book together—and encountered a wide range of opinions. Some owners had heard that they resembled their dogs, some seemed to play it up a bit, but others were surprised that we approached them. While owners may have adopted a dog that resembled them, or adopted a look to match their dog, it appeared that something else was at work. For most owners, their dog is a soul mate, a true source of joy in their life. The words "love," "fun," and "affection" kept coming up. Whether owners found their dogs with breeders or at the pound, the dog was an equal in the relationship—if not, we sensed sometimes, the one who called the shots. There was many a cold, wet winter day we spent with owners who patiently sat and talked in a dog run, giving their dogs a chance to get out and play. In return, the dogs were always looking to their owners for an "okay," a subtle nod that the owner had an eye on them. As much as was spoken between owner and dog, we also found something that was unspoken and meaningful. Two of a Kind tries to capture both relationships: the intriguing physical similarities that we notice between owner and dog and the less obvious but ever-present bond that unites them. These ties can be seen in the book’s photographs as owner and dog prove they are, indeed, two of a kind.