Internet celebrity Tiki is up for adoption. The waitlist is full.

Tiki, who melted millions of hearts with his innocence and recovery, is now up for adoption, his foster Isabel Klee said.

The plot twist, however, is that applications and the waitlist are both full after the 5-year-old dog received more than 100 applications in just the first hour alone.

The pooch, who got a new lease on life after he was rescued from dire circumstances, became social media famous after Klee documented his journey on TikTok, with some of the videos garnering millions of views.

“The response has been so heartwarming,” Klee, a content creator and upcoming author based in Brooklyn, told USA TODAY. “The world can be a really harsh place, especially right now. There’s a lot going on, and I think everybody just kind of needed this story that was feel good and hopeful to turn to.”

Tiki’s virality also helped New York-based Muddy Paws Rescue, who connected Klee with Tiki, raise over $200,000 through Tiki-themed merchandise and donations, Klee said.

Tiki refused to leave his bed when he first came home

When Klee first brought him home, Tiki did not eat, drink or leave his bed even to go to the bathroom. Klee was unable to reveal the circumstances in which Tiki was rescued due to privacy concerns, but said she was made aware of the situation, which wasn’t very great, when she picked him up for fostering.

“There was this big fear he wouldn’t get better,” Klee said. “There were nights when I would just lay awake looking at my ceiling, wondering what the outcome would be.”

“Before I picked him up, ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) told us this dog was in really bad shape, and they didn’t know if he was going to be able to be rehabilitated,” Klee said. “We didn’t know what his outcome would be. But Muddy Paws Rescue and I decided to pull him anyway, because I feel all dogs deserve the chance to get better, and a lot of dogs can’t get better in a shelter environment, because it can be really stressful.”

Slowly but steadily, things started looking up.

“Day by day, he did get better,” Klee said. “I kind of just sat back and learned to exist with him. I didn’t push him. I let him come out of his shell on his own.”

It started with Tiki first only putting his paw outside the crate. Then he started drinking water, then eating.

“Every day it was something new, until eventually he was crawling into my lap and asking for cuddles,” Klee said. “It happened really slowly, but day by day, he got braver and braver.”

Curious little pup

Klee said it took almost 13 days for her to touch Tiki for the first time because of how hesitant he was. But when it finally happened, “it was well worth the wait.”

After more than a month in Klee’s care, Tiki is now also getting warmed up to being around other people and pets. While he isn’t entirely comfortable in their presence, like when Klee has people over, he does come outside and hangs out with them, observing everybody.

“He is very curious,” Klee said. “He met my mom and allowed her to give him kisses and pets. Every single day with every person he meets, he gets a little braver, and he comes out of his shell a little bit more.”

Tiki’s favorite things

As Tiki came out of his shell, one of his favorite things to do is sit with dirty laundry.

“He’s obsessed with our dirty laundry,” Klee laughed. “It sounds really funny, but he’ll go into the hamper and take out, like a shirt that I wore and cuddle with it, which is just the cutest thing. He also loves our shoes. It’s like he loves to cuddle with the things that smell like us. He never destroys them, he just likes to sit with them.”

As for his favorite snack, “he’s obsessed with cheese,” mostly cheddar, Klee said.

Tiki and Simon

Klee may be putting in most of the effort, but Tiki’s favorite person in the house is her 6-year-old dog Simon, who she adopted after fostering him when he was just a little puppy.

“Simon is the best partner in fostering,” Klee gushed. “He is just so patient (and) understanding. He gets it. He understands these dogs need help and teaches them to be a dog again.”

Klee credited Simon with teaching Tiki how to play with toys and encouraging Tiki to go outside for the first time.

“Having a confident dog in the house is just like the best possible thing when you’re fostering a fearful dog,” Klee shared.

Isabel and Simon have fostered 20 dogs together

Klee and Simon have fostered 20 dogs together, though Klee has been fostering dogs for much longer. The content creator shared she’s been fostering dogs since she was 25 but took a long break when she adopted Simon after fostering him.

“Simon has a lot of complicated health issues so I stopped fostering for a number of years, and then picked it back up about two years ago,” Klee said, adding the two have now fostered 20 dogs together. Depending on the dog’s need, fosters have been as short as a few days and as long as two months.

“It’s been a lot, (but) I find it so rewarding,” Klee said. “Of course, there are difficult moments, but I think the joyful moments far outweigh it.”

She added: “Tiki is such a great example. Four weeks (in) and he’s a completely different dog. Just being that vessel for change and seeing them grow over a short amount of time is the most magical thing.”

Tips for fostering

For anyone looking into fostering dogs, Klee’s word of advice would be to have patience.

“Patience is the most important thing,” Klee, who is also in process of writing a book on fostering, said. “Whether that’s being frustrated that the dog is peeing inside, or that they’re barking at you or, whatever it may be. Just come at it with patience and the understanding that this dog is in a brand-new space, and (that) it’s scary and terrifying (for them).”

Tiki is not going to be with Klee much longer, given the overwhelming response received on his adoption application. However, an adoption doesn’t mean their relationship would come to an end. Klee shared she always exchanges information with any family that adopts the dogs she has fostered, and “most of them still keep in touch” with her.

“I get pictures all the time,” Klee said, adding it is up to the adopter on whether they want to keep a relationship with her. “Luckily most people find the dogs through my page, so they usually do want to keep in touch. I’m very happy about that.”

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

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