The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned From Pets Who Were Left Behind

by Ken Foster

Overview

Now regarded as a classic in dog literature, Ken Foster's memoir chronicles his journey from first-time dog owner to rescuer--and all the lessons and mistakes he made along the way. Bookended by the tragedies of 9/11 and Katrina, Foster finds that dogs open his eyes to the benefits of compassion, selflessness, and the chaotic beauty of living each day in the moment.
But more than Foster's own story, readers remember the dogs. Among them are Duque, a Costa Rican stray; Brando, Foster's first adopted dog and a supposed pit bull mix who outgrew his Manhattan studio apartment; Rocco, a clownish red pit bull whose owner mistakenly gives him away to the wrong person; Zephyr, a cheerful Rottweiler mix who awakens Foster by sitting on his chest when his heart stops working; and Sula, the tiny lost pit bull who showed up at Foster's door one day and stayed.
Whether bearing witness to national tragedy, grieving the death of a friend, or dealing with his own mortality, Foster finds strength in his dogs, and in the reciprocal nature of rescue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493027613
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	591 KB

About the Author

Ken Foster is the editor of two anthologies, including Dog Culture, and the author of Dogs I Have Met and I’m a Good Dog. His collection of short stories, The Kind I'm Likely to Get, was a New York Times Notable Book. His work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney's, and The Believer. He has taught at The New School, Florida State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2008, he founded The Sula Foundation, which promotes responsible dog ownership among the pit bull population and sponsors education and outreach in the New Orleans area. He lives in New Orleans, with at least three dogs.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

How They Find Me 1

On Being Rescued 5

Getting Rid of Rocco 13

How to Lose Your Best Friend 21

Abandoning Sinatra 23

How Dogs Correct Us 29

The Four-Hour Custody Limit 33

How to Read a Dog 43

Two Halves of a Bone 45

Two or Three Things About Heartworms 57

Endings and Beginnings 61

The Folk Art of Lost Pet Flyers 73

Wonder When You'll Miss Me 75

Pit Bull Puppies 85

The Paradox of the No-Kill Shelter 89

Valentino 95

How to Let Go 107

The Dog Who Found Me 109

What Zephyr Dogs Do When They Need Some Attention 123

The Problem with My Heart 125

Dogs I Reunited with Their People 141

Things That Return 143

How to Prepare for the Unexpected 159

The Unexpected 161

Epilogue 173

What to Do When You Find a Dog 177

Questions for Discussion 179

Resources 181

Acknowledgments 189

Editorial Reviews

"Generosity and gratitude power this compelling account of the reciprocal nature of rescue. Ken Foster illuminates a profound lesson about saving a life: Doing it makes you able to do it." –Amy Hempel, author of The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel "I read this at once, and could hardly bear to put it down. This is a wonderful, strange book, beautiful and funny and moving. It delivers something crucial about bravery, the human spirit, and the place that dogs occupy in our landscapes. It's about confronting need, vulnerability and love, and responding."—Roxana Robinson, author of Sparta and Georgia O'Keefe: A Life "Ken Foster writes about the human/canine bond with wisdom, insight, and great heart. This is a fascinating and useful book, full of great stories and practical knowledge every dog lover needs. Ken's dogs are lucky to have found him, and so are his readers." —Sean Wilsey, author of Oh The Glory of it All "Foster's dogs are memorable, delightful characters, with vivid, poignant stories. THE DOGS WHO FOUND ME is a testament to the joys dogs bring, and to the beauty in the work of saving them." —Rene Steinke, National Book Award finalist for Holy Skirts "If you love dogs as much as Ken Foster, you will probably recognize yourself in much of The Dogs Who Found Me. You will remember your heart stopping or being shredded... only to be repaired with an even greater capacity to love." —Terry Bain, author of You Are A Dog “This book isn't about Foster as much as it's about his dogs, who help him through 9/11, a heart condition that lands him in the hospital and the deaths of two good friends…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.”—Publisher’s Weekly   Review; “The book’s conversational, straightforward prose is one of its strengths. And Foster’s powers of observation and eye for meaningful detail elevate what he has to say above the level of the average memoir.”—www.numag.neu.edu (Northeastern University Magazine)   “…an absorbing and quirky memoir…Foster’s style is blunt, funny and poignant. He smoothly melds the events of his turbulent life along with the gritty details of rescuing abandoned dogs into a piece that goes to the heart.”— San Francisco Chronicle   “…[a] beautiful and funny account of dog love…This light, deeply felt chronicle puts that best-selling confection ‘Marley & Me’ in the shade.”— Plain Dealer "[Foster is] matter-of-fact, sometimes angry, always open-hearted and often full of wonder...At the core of it, this is a book about living a decent life and taking care along the way. You don't have to rescue stray pit bulls to know how important that is."— The Oregonian "Ken Foster's memoir, The Dogs Who Found Me, is a tale of love and survival—through 9/11, through a near-fatal heart problem, through Hurricane Katrina…It's a memoir that will appeal to dog-lovers, for sure, but it's also a human story of considerable dimensions, framed by national tragedies…" —The New Orleans Times-Picayune "Foster's book might sound dangerously warm and fuzzy, but it maintains an edge of wisdom and self-awareness...Foster has led an untidy life, and he's lucky his pets have taught him the value of letting things get messy."— Sarah Goodyear, Time Out New York

From the Publisher