Woman Documents Timid Rescue Dog’s Transformation. Millions, Including Kylie Kelce, Fall in Love (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

  • Isabel Klee began fostering dogs when she was around 25
  • At the time, fostering allowed her to spend time with dogs without the financial burden of pet ownership
  • Recently, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native, now 32, got back into fostering. Her most recent foster Tiki, has captured the Internet’s hearts

Isabel Klee isn’t new to being a dog mom.

The Brooklyn, N.Y., local began fostering dogs when she was around 25. At the time, she says she was “too broke” to have a dog of her own. Fostering through Muddy Paws Rescue offered the perfect solution: she could spend time with dogs without the financial burden, as the organization covers all expenses, including medical care.

“I really did it just to get my dog fix, and I completely fell in love with it,” says Klee, now 32, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “My fifth foster was my dog Simon, who I ended up adopting. After that, I actually took a four-year break because Simon is medically complex, and caring for him took up a lot of my time.”

Eventually, Klee and Simon moved into their current apartment, her first home in Brooklyn with a backyard. “I remember thinking, ‘Now that I have this great outdoor space, I should probably start fostering again,’ ” she recalls.

So she did. And before long, fostering became a team effort between herself and Simon.

Not long after restarting her fostering journey, Klee received a call from a friend at Muddy Paws Rescue. The ASPCA had just pulled several dogs from a neglect case and urgently needed fosters. Her friend sent over a list of dogs with short bios. One had no teeth. Another had just undergone eye removal surgery. And at the bottom of the list was a dog named Tiki.

A closeup of Tiki the dog.

Alexandra Lloyd


“His description read: ‘Tiki, by far the most shut down of the group. Won’t even leave his bed,’ ” Klee remembers. “And I was like, ‘That’s the one I want.’ ”

“I love fostering the difficult dogs — medical cases, behavioral cases — I just find it really fulfilling,” she adds. “That was all it took. I always say I’m such a sucker. Anytime someone asks, ‘Can you take this dog?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I can take the dog.’ I don’t really know how to say no.”

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Tiki’s case, however, was unlike anything she’d faced before. Several behaviorists believed he might be beyond rehabilitation.

“Unfortunately, that’s sometimes the reality in rescue,” Klee explains. “Some dogs have just been through too much trauma, and they can’t come back from it. A lot of people thought that was going to be Tiki’s outcome.”

Still, she went to the shelter to bring him home. When she arrived, she was taken aback by just how rough he looked.

Though she had seen photos of Tiki — who was believed to be around 5 years old — nothing prepared Klee for meeting him in person. Due to privacy concerns, the details of his background are limited, but it’s known that he came from a severely neglectful situation, had undergone surgery and spent time recovering at the ASPCA. His name, she says, came with him. The dogs he came in with were named Aloha and Ukulele.

Isabel Klee and foster dog Tiki.

Isabel Klee


“He was cowering, shaking like a leaf,” Klee recalls. “His eyes — everyone knows him now for his little ‘mask’ — had been shaved, and he was crusty all over. He wouldn’t allow any handling, so they couldn’t clean him, bathe him or do much medical care. If anyone tried, he would bite or lose control of his bowels.”

“When I brought him home, he literally didn’t leave his bed for two or three days,” she continues. “He didn’t eat, didn’t go to the bathroom — he just stayed curled up and slept.”

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A closeup of Tiki the dog.

Alexandra Lloyd


As she’s done with her previous fosters, Klee began sharing updates about Tiki on social media. And very slowly, over the next three weeks, she documented his progress, each step small but deeply meaningful.

It started with him lifting his head or sniffing Klee as she passed by. Then he began eating his meals. Eventually, he placed one tentative foot outside his crate. In the middle of the night, he began going to the bathroom when no one was around.

“Each moment has been revolutionary in our household,” she says. “It’s just the coolest thing ever to see him get a little braver every single day. And right now, as we’re speaking, he’s literally walking around, sniffing everything. He’s just a curious little guy.”

But this time, something was different. Tiki didn’t just make progress, he captured the Internet’s heart.

Videos of him have gone viral, with one clip racking up more than 8 million views and even catching the attention of Kylie Kelce.

“The way he stared at you!!! Please tell Tiki we are so proud of him!! 😩🥹,” Kelce, also a dog owner, commented on the video.

To make sure she doesn’t miss a thing, Klee says she always has her phone ready to record. “Someone joked the other day that I must have hundreds of videos of Tiki on my phone,” she says with a laugh. “They’re absolutely right.”

She’s also committed to being transparent, not just about the sweet moments, but the mistakes, too.

“For instance, the day after I pet him for the first time, I picked him up and put him on the couch,” she says. “He didn’t like it at all; he was super uncomfortable and jumped off. I remember thinking, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t post this.’ But then I thought, ‘No, I’m going to share it.’ ”

“I was frustrated with myself for pushing him past his boundary,” she adds. “But I think it’s important for people to see the real process, not just the progress.”

“It’s a very difficult time in the world right now, there’s a lot going on,” she continues. “A lot of things feel scary or overwhelming, and Tiki is this light. People see how much trauma he’s experienced, and they also see that in just three weeks, in a peaceful home filled with love, he’s healing.”

Isabel Klee and foster dog Tiki.

Isabel Klee


Klee hopes that by showing both the triumphs and the challenges, she can inspire others to take a chance on fostering.

“Everyone can do it. It doesn’t take anything exceptional,” she says. “I’m just a normal person with a job, living in New York City — just like so many others. And there are so many dogs who need to get out of shelters. Here’s how you can do it.”

As for Tiki’s future? Klee says he’ll likely be available for adoption soon — but hopes that doesn’t mean the end of their relationship.

“I keep in touch with most of my previous fosters. Literally every day, I text at least two of them,” Klee says. “They send me photos all the time. So it’s really up to the adopter if they want to stay in touch — but most people find my dogs through my page, and they usually do.”

“That’s what makes me the happiest,” she adds. “I love getting updates. I just got one this morning from a former foster’s family. So I’m really hoping that whoever adopts Tiki will stay in close contact, too.”

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