Oh, hey, is something going on today that might be causing your eyes to melt out of your actual head? Please allow this story of a man and a dog who are basically twins and wear matching outfits to ease your mind and completely distract you from reality.
Topher Brophy is a dog lover and artist living in Brooklyn, New York, who adopted a puppy two years ago. The dog, whom he named Roseberg, helped him fill a hole in his world. Before long, Rosenberg and Topher were going on long walks in Brooklyn's Prospect Park and getting what can only be described as odd looks.
Why? Because Topher and his dog looked scary-alike. "I didn't have an understanding that [Rosenberg] looked like me at all. That came later on when we started to go places. … Kids would shout,'That guy looks like his dog!'" Topher told Cosmopolitan.com. Adults would also sheepishly come up to him and say, "Hey, this is kinda weird but has anyone told you you kind of look like your dog?!"
Those kinds of comments might bother some people, but Topher embraced them. "They thought they were going to offend me [by saying I looked like Roseberg], but I took it as the biggest compliment," Topher explained. "He's a beautiful creature."
Any time the two of them traveled together, they'd cause a stir. One day, Topher and Rosenberg stepped out in matching denim button-downs, and people lost their damn minds. "People crowded around us and made a big fuss," Topher said. "Kids went crazy."
So, dressing alike became their ~thing~. So much of a thing that Topher decided to employ a professional dog photographer, Chantal Adair, known on Instagram as @TheDogStyler, to take photos of the identical pair.
Now Topher's Insta page is full of pictures of the two in matching outfits, styled by Chantal, in sometimes fashionable, sometimes ironic, and sometimes hilarious ways. He sees the light-hearted images as a way to bring a little light into a world that sometimes appears dark.
"We realized that people were made happy when we dressed the same," Topher shared. "And we wanted to spread that positive message. Animals don't judge us based on how much money we have, who we vote for, the color of our skin — it's based on how we treat them — a love meritocracy. That's something that human beings could learn a lot from."
Rosenberg loves wearing the outfits, which are all chosen by Chantal. "The minute he stops enjoying it, we'll stop," Topher made sure to note. "All dogs aren't meant to dress up in clothes — some dogs don't like it. Their comfort is the most important to me. They can't speak for themselves, so you have to give them the most respect. Rosenberg isn't like any other dog. He loves being in clothes and being in front of the camera."
The pair's similarities don't stop at their looks, though. According to Topher, their personalities are identical too. "Our personalities are even more similar than the way we look. We're both very introspective and can be shy, but can be outgoing," Topher told Cosmopolitan.com. "We're both a bit picky and get cranky if we don't eat."
They also both care about people (Rosenberg loves to play with toddlers!), which is why they're hoping to take their smile-inducing act on the road. Namely, to get involved with charities, and more specifically, help children in need. "We are so lucky to have people talking about us," Topher said. "We want to give back and get more involved in 2017."
In the meantime, they'll keep spreading love on their Instagram pages, one picture at a time.
Get non-boring fashion and beauty news directly in your feed. Follow Facebook.com/CosmoBeauty.
Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram.
Rachel Torgerson is the fashion features director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing fashion coverage online, in print, and on our various social media platforms. She has over a decade of experience in the fashion and media industries, musing on style through multiple lenses, including cultural, celebrity, and bridal. Her ultimate focus: making fashion less exclusive and more relatable. Before landing at Cosmopolitan as a digital fashion editor in 2016, she worked at Us Weekly, The Knot, and Fitness Magazine, among others. When she's not discussing runway trends, you can definitely catch her trying (and, in many cases, failing) a new crochet cardigan pattern or in a spirited debate about the difference between the Bridgerton books vs the Netflix series. Follow her on Instagram and TikTok: @RachelTorgs
