“Be brave like Tiki”
The inside stories of a dog foster parent
Magdalena
5/17/2026
I have a feeling that I have not approached a blank page here for a while now, as I remain grounded in just a few key priorities that we call “the daily grind”. That much so, that today, I committed to a lazy Sunday fully, making my sofa as cozy as possible, with all treats easily accessible and with Kindle as my company. “I am not going anywhere today!”, was the morning pep-talk. I am indeed doing exceptionally well at day-dreaming. All I had to do was to imagine an Okinawa-kind of white beach, a horizon surrendering into a pure azure ocean and looking forward to start the book I have been longing to for a week or two now.
Such pep-talk is needed especially when one wakes up to the sharp notes of asymmetrical and heavy rain droplets, on the air-conditioner box placed illogically just outside my window.This melody was simply all I needed to establish my grand the plans for the day.
I came across Isabel Klee’s book only recently as I have found her story about Kiki and how long it took this foster dog to slowly trust her new environment, Isabel’s home and to soften into trust and accept that this new human can love her. I then started checking more stories and posts, that Isabel shared over time. I came to the conclusion that I really know nothing about fostering dogs (even I secretly wish to do the very same thing), I really know nothing about why and how people abandon the dogs, I knew too little about the kindness that sits in the hearts of all volunteers and the people working at the animal protection agencies and associations and so much more. I was thrilled to see that Isabel has also an upcoming book that I had to read. That is the only motivation for me for the entire week - I will read Isabel Klee’s book, “meet” Simon and Tiki and all the foster wonderful dogs she reconnected with a good life and found great homes. Most and foremost, I wanted to meet Isabel and discover what does it take to become such a devoted heart to dogs while being simply human and learning or unlearning life as it unfolds.
Here it is:
Yes, dear Isabel. I cried too. I laughed too. And your story, kept thriving in awe and hope for everything, knowing that are people out there, who commit to such work. This was never a one time experience for Isabel, to love dogs and make sure they get a better life with so much patience, understanding but with a clear sense of urgency when her service was needed.
Of course, Isabel’s story is not unique in the sense that I do know people everywhere with great love for dogs or pets in general and doing the best they can for them. I somehow failed to read much documented stories of animal rescuers, or get a stronger interest in the entire process and what needs to be done. I have found this account of story-telling, pretty much telling it as it has been, truly illuminating. The book fell under “true story” genre and this is what we enjoyed. Multiple stories about what is happening after the dog is sent as a foster dog. The patience needed. Most of the cases Isabel is taking are dogs with serious issues like abandon, abuse, starvation, and so on, and I could see her surprise occasionally when a foster dog turned up to be a very loving dog right away. I have no doubt that if I visit a dog shelter nearby, I would hear much more. And yet, this would require for me to be much braver than Tiki.
I found a renewed sense of duty towards dogs that would need its own transformation journey. For now, I dream to be brave as Tiki, knowing well I am not fully ready. All I know is that a calling starts somewhere and I truly hope that Isabel’s book becomes this invisible thread in my life leading to finding “the dog” for me.
Loving dogs, taking care of them, from afar or maybe only for short periods of time, is quite a different situation than becoming for example a dog carer, or a foster parent, someone who is committed to do this massive “repair work”, helping dogs heal or seeing the light to healing and then handing them over to the new adopting parents.
I found the entire raw delivery of this story as a big eye opener for me. It did not steer me away from dogs, it has definitely pull me stronger towards a new direction. I had big dreams all my life that I would live in a household with dogs. And yet, here I am, still finding all the reasons that I did not take the big step and “brave up!”, here in Hong Kong. The biggest reason I kept telling myself was that they are sad to stay at home on their own, as I was travelling. Well, time to reframe everything, isn’t it.Star anew. Soon.
I love Isabel’s conviction that she was called by the agency with a new case of a foster dog:
“Because she called me with a reason, even if that reason was unspoken. The implication of the call was-he needs you, he deserves a chance ,and what if no one takes this old, mean dog?”
(in this case Twinkle, in her story)
We find this reasoning running in parallel with the unfolding of some relationships, opening her heart and holding space for all that was in the past, with a simple and powerful decision most of us share. We want to understand people. We want to be good in life. Isabel saw that as her ticket in life, and she also change directions few times, trying on “new hats” even if, as she candidly mentions, she was “not a hat person”.
Nothing in this story was easy in fact. The fact however, in my opinion, that Isabel chose a neutral tone of the raw stories, without dramatising techniques, without suspension moments, without “cliff hangers”, draw my attention right away. I miss story telling as is. The events, the characters, kept unfolding. We have seen Isabel growing up, going from trial and trials, from communal living with friends to taking the step of renting a tiny flat all by herself and keeping at doing what she loved most - being around dogs, taking good care of them and holding a strong ethic and dedication to the process and what it takes. I simply adored her mission. Saying “yes”to a new case.
The book invites us in to her family stories with patent and we can see without a doubt that both her mother and her mother’s sister, Susan, held a special gift for taking care of pets. We hear about Ruby, Isabel’s first dog as a kid. And later, even if she has been a foster mum for a while, she has to convince herself that she needs to adopt this time, for real, a new dog. She adopts Simon and un-knowingly, maybe Simon picked her. She is really the one fit dog-mum to take care and face all financial responsibility to live with a dog who suddenly gets seizures during one night and is found to be epileptic. Isabel lets us in on what it takes for her to learn how to handle, to manage the shock-after and to find a balanced point in time and space, where Simon is nothing but thriving because she learns how to master the art of the care-giver.
Nothing is as simple as presented. Nothing is just a string of events. The emotional tall of through all challenges seem just normal in Isabel’s attitude. She simples knows that she has to do it.
“I was going to take this dog in.I was going to heal her, and I was going to love her. I was going to show her that sometimes, strangers can make for the most wonderful friends”.
This is conviction. And the stories kept pouring and melting out hearts with the immense possibility, with this immense potential of joy that we can uncover in ourselves and show up in most surprising spaces.
I loved every single reinforcing message Isabel receives from the rescue center staff delivering the doggies, and later from the adoptive dog paw-rents coming to collect the healing dog. Everything becomes a full circle.
There is a generous dollop of love and dedication in everythin, punctuated by tears and heartbreaks then joy and healing. We see that with her parents, we see that with her circle of friends, we see that in the photo where, unknown to her at that time, her future husband was running as if towards her and Simon, her adopted dog. A photo taken two weeks before she met him in person. I loved all these sprinkles of serendipities and things happening for a reason, “even if the reason was unspoken” as we were told at the very beginning of the book.
We see that Isabel takes cues from all her stories that fall into her lap to care for. She sees this immense change that dogs undergo once they come back to the safety level. The immense joy of play, in the sea, on the beach, at a park, their curiosity and fun nature that is unlocking within a loving household.
Isabel sees Tiki as a clear image of bravery. She has waited thirteen days for Tiki to find a renewed curiosity outside of the crater, and later being able to even ever so gently touch Tiki. He had to break the cycle of “sleeping” as in “ I do not want to exist anymore” level. Isabel says:
“Tiki has taught me that small movements can be big movements. Small movements are an act of bravery, even if you are the only one who notices. “
Every small change in a traumatised dog’s experience seems at times too tiny even, and yet that was such a big victory. I felt the realness of Isabel telling us that she always wanted to blast a sound of joy when a big step was overcome, and yet, she had to remain consciouses that dogs are sensitive to noise at that might scare them and deter progress.
Thank you Isabel, I have learnt so much!
“A chance was all we needed”.
To all of our dogs that made our life meaningful ,even if I took care of you in short spurts of time. You are so special and brave to love us all!
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