📸 Philly pups in the spotlight | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to Saturday.

Parts of the region were expected to wake up to a bit of snow this morning, and winds are to pick up again tonight.

Today, we’re talking about the adorable power of the pup close-up. Plus, we have the latest on a cargo ship trapped in the Delaware River, how the “quad-demic” is impacting Philly’s sick season, and what Macy’s customers should know about store closures.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Philly is a dog-loving city. It may be ruff for some pet owners. Still, nearly one-third of households own a dog, and any one of them could go viral thanks to the Dogist, the account of a photographer with some of the most wholesome feeds across social media.

Elias Weiss Friedman is the founder and man behind the Dogist. He’s typically looking for new adorable subjects in New York, but he was spotted in Philadelphia recently. We claim him because he’s a proud Philly man. (We also have the cutest canines and lots of places to take them out, so coming back home makes sense.)

“We’re not in Kansas anymore,” Friedman told his followers. “We’re in Philadelphia, which is where I’m from. We’re gonna get a hoagie from Wawa. And we’re gonna root for the Eagles. And we’re gonna get a cheesesteak wid.” And because Manayunk was his first stop, he explained to over 9 million people what “the Yunk” is.

Every dog has a story — where they came from, what they love, and what sorts of mischief they get up to — and through the Dogist, Friedman puts them in the spotlight, treats and photography included. In this visit, he met Astrid the Galgo and Odin the “Wiggy” (a first for the Dogist); he featured Hazel, the cooking-loving rescue who once stole a stick of butter; he strolled with Dar the curious Beagle; and he got camera-booped by a sweet and excited ball of energy named Sienna. It’s impossible to watch these encounters without smiling.

This wasn’t Friedman’s first time hanging out with Philly pups. He played with some of our furry neighbors last summer, but his recent appearance was a welcome surprise. This was especially true for Ashley the dog owner who “has been waiting for this moment,” and the starstruck woman on Main Street who unknowingly walked into frame and said: “You’re the Dogist?” It’s too bad Bark Social up the street is gone. I can imagine the absolute field day Friedman and fans would have had there. He should come back during one of the Phillies’ annual “Bark at the Park” nights.

Friedman’s overall review? Philly delivered the goods. We always do.

The increased presence of a powerful animal tranquilizer in Philadelphia’s fentanyl supply, dubbed “rhino tranq” on the streets, is transforming how intensive care facilities help people living in addiction across the city.

Nearly one in five recent fentanyl-related deaths in Philadelphia now involve medetomidine, which is up to 200 times more potent than its predecessor xylazine, write Kevan Shah and Suhanee Mitragotri. Shah is the founder and executive director of End Overdose Together, and Mitragotri is the cofounder of the Naloxone Education Initiative.

To address this evolving crisis, Shah and Mitragotri say we must dramatically expand rapid access to treatments for addiction and harm reduction resources.

“After claiming more than 500,000 American lives over the course of two decades, the overdose crisis has entered an even deadlier phase,” they write.

Read on for Shah and Mitragotri’s perspective on a potential three-pronged approach to this escalating situation.

Girl Scout Cookies are back, but these two flavors are being discontinued after this season.

A) Thin Mints and Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel deLites)

B) Lemonades and Trefoils

C) S’mores and Toast-Yay!

D) Adventurefuls and Peanut Butter Sandwich (a.k.a. Do-si-dos)

Think you know? Check your answer.

Hint: This epic 2024 film, set mostly in Philadelphia and Doylestown, won the Golden Globe for best motion picture-drama

BUILT SHATTER

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Harry Whalen who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: Snacktime. The Philly band that is now “Jason Kelce on ESPN” famous since being featured on the former Eagles’ pop-up show, They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg runs from Jan. 4-11. Rural reporter Jason Nark (pictured in the middle) hasn’t missed one in about eight years, and says he is trying to recruit more friends and families to join him.

Between the rodeo competitions, live calf births, mushroom burgers, and the crown jewel 1,000-pound butter sculpture, there is a lot to see and do there. Check out more photos from the annual event, captured by staff photographers Tyger Williams and Steven Falk, and read Nark’s latest for reasons you should pull your kids out of school for next year’s show.

Over on a Roxborough neighborhood Facebook group, a funny man named David is keeping his community updated with weather reports after the snow and cold snap across the Philly region. I wonder what “Jim,” David’s fellow correspondent for sports, thinks about Sunday’s matchup at the Linc.

And over on The Inquirer site, we’re reviewing all the squares for Eagles playoff Bingo and trying to crack today’s Birdle. (I got yesterday’s in four attempts. Go Birds.)

👋🏽 Let’s do this again tomorrow.

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