Meet The Rebel Dog Walker of Williamsburg

The other day a reporter from The Forward contacted me to share a story she produced about Gedalya Gottenger, a Hasidic Jew, who decided to become a dog walker.

Hasidic Jews are notoriously afraid of (or at the very least avoid) dogs*.  So a Hasidic dog walker is not your run-of-the-mill professional pooper scooper.

This guy is breaking cultural norms every time he leashes up. I was intrigued.

What I dug about his story is that although his choice to work with dogs is an act of rebellion in his community, the bottom line is that he walks dogs for the same reason I do:

“Dogs are awesome and, uh, I get paid to hang out with them even, so what’s not to like?”

Ain’t that the truth.

I thought you guys might find his story interesting! Take a look at this short video about Gedalya (featuring an adorable brindle dog). You can also read more about him here.

A Hasid’s Best Friend from Jewish Daily Forward on Vimeo.

Sending my colleague Gedalya a poop bag high five, from one Jewish professional dog walker to another!

 
*So are lots of people…of all religions. Which is why you should always have your dog under your full control. Putting a leash on  your dog also gives others, who may be panicking at the sight of your dog, a clear visual signal that your dog is connected to you and not about to run up and knock them over. Remember, fear isn’t logical – have compassion, use a leash, and spare someone a cold sweat.