The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind - Softcover

Foster, Ken

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1592287492 ISBN 13: 9781592287499

Publisher: The Lyons Press, 2006

Synopsis

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.

About this title

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.

From the Back Cover

Winner of Foreword Magazine's 2006 Bronze Award for Pet Book of the Year!

"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 Dog of the Marriage and Reasons to Live
"I read this at once, and could hardly bear to put it down. 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 A Perfect Stranger and Georgia O Keeffe
"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. 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
"Pitbulls pitbulls pitbulls, and a man, like me, who loves them. Alternately brutal and sentimental, like the lives of the dogs he rescues. A very, very cool book."
--James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard

Disaster-prone writer and reluctant dog rescuer Ken Foster finds himself adopting an ever-growing collection of stray dogs, from a beagle abandoned in a New York City dog run to a pit bull in a Mississippi truck stop. Their circumstances offer a grounding counterpoint to his own misfortunes: the shock of New York City after 9/11, the evacuation of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and the day his heart nearly stopped for good.

KEN FOSTER is the editor of two anthologies, including Dog Culture. 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. For more information, visit www.dogswhofoundme.com.

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Winner of Foreword Magazine's 2006 Bronze Award for Pet Book of the Year!

"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 Dog of the Marriage and Reasons to Live
"I read this at once, and could hardly bear to put it down. 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 A Perfect Stranger and Georgia O Keeffe
"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. 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
"Pitbulls pitbulls pitbulls, and a man, like me, who loves them. Alternately brutal and sentimental, like the lives of the dogs he rescues. A very, very cool book."
--James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard

Disaster-prone writer and reluctant dog rescuer Ken Foster finds himself adopting an ever-growing collection of stray dogs, from a beagle abandoned in a New York City dog run to a pit bull in a Mississippi truck stop. Their circumstances offer a grounding counterpoint to his own misfortunes: the shock of New York City after 9/11, the evacuation of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and the day his heart nearly stopped for good.

KEN FOSTER is the editor of two anthologies, including Dog Culture. 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. For more information, visit www.dogswhofoundme.com.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Lyons Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1592287492
• ISBN 13: 9781592287499
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208