The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Ken Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

A favorite author reveals his experiences rescuing abandoned dogs--and offers solid advice for readers who "find" dogs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After Foster adopts his first dog, Brando, from a shelter, he can't help noticing an alarming number of stray dogs, which he had never noticed before. Once he starts looking for them, he finds strays everywhere: on the side of the road, at the dog park, at gas stations and stuck in drainage grates. But this book isn't about Foster as much as it's about his dogs, who help him through 9/11 (he lived in Manhattan then), a heart condition that lands him in the hospital and the deaths of two good friends. Foster's relationships with the three dogs in his life aren't a one-way street, though: when one dog gets a urinary infection every time Foster leaves, Foster realizes she "was trying to hold everything in until I returned." As if channeling the frank and fundamental nature of dogs, Foster's sentences hide little pretense or poetry. It's an appropriate writing style that lets Foster present his joys and sorrows plainly. Interspersing vignettes on topics such as missing dog posters, shelters, heartworms and understanding dogs' body language, Foster fleshes out this charming account of a life among dogs while providing hints for would-be dog savers. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Foster believes that dogs are like tattoos: they leave an indelible mark. His warm, candid, and unusual account of his experience in animal rescue is not sentimental about the hard work of saving dogs but rather confident, reflecting his belief that taking action on behalf of abandoned dogs is the right thing to do. Foster enumerates some of the ways people consistently do wrong by these wonderful animals and explains that rescued animals often have physical and behavioral problems, making them difficult to care for. But that, he concludes, is the point. Without knowing the outcome or what resources will be required, you take on the task, and you are a better person for it. Even if, or perhaps especially if, you have a sudden heart problem and must face Hurricane Katrina, as Foster and his trio of dogs did with the help of friends. Animal rescue efforts may be small in the eyes of the world, but to a redeemed animal, they are the world. Pamela Crossland
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592287492
• ASIN: B001LNOOM0
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ken Foster lives in New Orleans with his dogs, Brando, Zephyr, Douglas and Bananas. His work has appeared in The Believer, McSweeney's, Bomb, The New York Times Book Review, Time Out New York, The Village Voice and other publications. A collection of his short stories, titled The Kind I'm Likely to Get, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He has also been awarded fellowships to Yaddo, the Sewanee Writers Conference, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the Wesleyan Writers Conference. He has edited two anthologies--The KGB Bar Reader and Dog Culture--as well as a special issue of the Mississippi Review. His most recent books are the memoir, The Dogs Who Found Me, and the collection, Dogs I Have Met. In 2008, he founded The Sula Foundation, which promotes responsible pit bull ownership in New Orleans.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rescuing dogs and being rescued by them, April 8, 2006

By 

Eileen Galen (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind (Paperback)

This story is every bit as absorbing and tender as its rave reviews claim. I ran out to buy it after hearing Ken Foster talk to Terri Gross on "Fresh Air," and was not disappointed. Foster's well-organized and totally readable account of his knack for spotting abandoned dogs, his rescues of them, and then life with the dogs he has found, plus his kindhearted descriptions of the people he meets, his good parents (on a road trip his big puppy eventually ends up sleeping between his parents - how usual is that??) and most of all his overarching sense of the wonder and pleasure at the world makes his story a real delight.

Of one of the book's many charming characters he writes, "I adopted Brando not because I was worried he might be put to sleep, but because after several days of visiting him I couldn't stand the idea of him living with someone other than me. " He concludes: " Within a few days I had developed a feverish dog-crush." I love this guy.

Foster had the odd luck of living with his dog(s) in downtown New York during 9/11, and then moving to New Orleans just before Hurricane Katrina hit. His story combines road trips with dog-care accounts. You learn a lot.

Some of the things he covers are heartworms, separation anxiety, no-kill shelters, preparing for the unexpected, his own health problems, and Pit Bulls. He instructs would-be rescuers ("What to Do When You Find a Dog"). This would be a great book to give to animal-loving kids (as well as adults) who are interested in such things. He supplies a good list of organizations and other resources for dog rescue. Throughout, Foster is compassionate and honest. His opinions are refreshingly kind. He suffers heartbreaking loss sometimes. There are descriptions of cruelty and neglect, and yet there is no hectoring or bullying of anyone in this artful and sweet book.

Foster has a website which has photos of some of the dogs he describes. I was longing for a photo, since he doesn't supply the reader with any physical description (other than to say he was a huge puppy) of Brando, one of the stars of this story. Foster's a cunning reporter, really - so he must have his reasons for this omission. In all, a wonderful story.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars couldn't put it down, January 30, 2007

By 

pjf "pjf" (MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind (Paperback)

This book starts with 911 and ends with Katrina, and in between the two disasters is rescue and hope. The author doesn't pretend to be an expert, just an average person, and that alone is a useful message. That each of us, one dog at a time, can make a difference, at least in the lives of the animals that might otherwise be euthanized, just by giving a little help along the way. It's a gentle journey, but it has it's occasionally profound moments. Recommended.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tail Waggingly Enjoyable, January 2, 2007

By 

Stephanie N. Medoff "Outside of a dog, a book... (Tucson, Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind."

Like many other people who had heard Ken Foster speaking on "NPR", I was captivated by the stories he told about himself, his merry band of rescue dogs and their tribulations during Hurricane Katrina and set out in search of his book. I'm so happy I did...

Reading "The Dogs" was like sitting down for coffee with a friend who understand the nuances of rescuing dogs, the painful parts and the wonderful parts. Why a person would jump out of their car in traffic to help a dog no one else seems to see, the struggle to do the "right" thing for each dog you encounter, the disappointment that can come when you enter the world of apathetic animal shelters and the joy that comes from the time spent with your dogs.

It's a book that reminds you that you're not the only one who saves dogs and of all the reasons why you do it. Mr. Foster captured the spirit of dog rescue beautifully and I'll happily recommend his book to all my Dog People friends.