How this 32-year-old New Yorker turned her love of dogs into a dream career
In college, in between my English and creative writing classes, I was racing a few blocks downtown to volunteer at an animal shelter on the east side of Manhattan.
Getting lost in books and spending time with shelter dogs were the twin pillars that held together the chaos of my twenties and kept me sane and motivated every day. The north star of my career is telling stories about animals in need.
My first job after college was working for a dog photographer. I followed him around New York City, then across the country, and then around the world, helping carry camera equipment and taking notes of all the dogs we met that day. I didn’t make good money, but I loved it.
I was unexpectedly let go after seven years.
It was the eve of my 30th birthday and I was suddenly unemployed. I had two options: I could find another position, or I could try to do it on my own. For me the choice was simple. I had to at least try to make a name for myself, doing what I loved most, which was helping dogs.
Sharing my foster dogs with the world
This upheaval coincided with me moving into a new apartment with my now-fiancé, Jacob, and our special needs rescue dog, Simon.
This apartment was special because it was the first time I had a backyard after living in seven apartments in New York City. I had fostered some dogs over the years, but with a big yard and a rare dog-loving owner, I decided it was a really good time to get back into it.
We’re sitting in our backyard with Simon and Twinkle, one of our foster dogs.
Photo: Isabel Klee
A few months after moving into the new apartment, we welcomed our first sitter, a Heeler mix named Ken. While I was going to pick him up, I gave Jacob my phone and asked him to take a video of me. I had an Instagram audience of about 50,000 followers where I posted videos about my dog.
But I decided that I wanted to emphasize the fostering process every step of the way. I wanted to show people exactly how it’s done so it wouldn’t be so scary for people who might want to try it themselves.
I spoke to the camera and explained what we were doing in the sweltering subway tunnels; My excitement and anxiety began to overwhelm me. We recorded everything: Ken getting out of the transport van, bringing her back to our flat and introducing her to Simon.
Whimsy, one of our guardians, hangs out with Simon on our couch. Simon always seems to know what his stepsisters need to feel comfortable.
Photo: Isabel Klee
I then edited the clips together and posted them on Instagram and TikTok. Miraculously, for whatever reason, people loved it. The video blew up. It received 257,000 views, 27,000 likes and more than 500 comments on TikTok.
I was shocked to see how people reacted to this and the immediate emotional connection these strangers on the internet felt with Ken. So I kept going: a video of us giving Ken a bath, a video of Ken playing with Simon, a video of Ken chasing bubbles I blew for him in the backyard. And finally, a video of Ken being adopted by his new mother.
The magic of seeing a dog loved for the first time
My audience grew during the week Ken was around. People wanted to see her journey and the process of fostering a dog in New York. But I think more than anything, people wanted a happy, feel-good story to play out before their eyes, to feel a little bit of the magic that happens when a dog is petted for the first time.
After my first foster home, I decided to focus primarily on supporting medical and behavioral cases. Simon has struggled with idiopathic epilepsy his entire life, and the experience of caring for him has completely changed the way I interact with the world and the level of patience I have.
Poutine is one of our medical sitters who stole the internet’s heart.
Photo: Isabel Klee
Plus, most rescues and shelters cover all costs associated with care: supplies, food, and any medical procedures a dog might need, so all I had to sacrifice was my time and my heart.
I wanted to tell the stories of dogs that would otherwise be forgotten and show the world how incredible they are.
One of our fosters, Gus, was actually adopted by my family.
Photo: Isabel Klee
I have handled almost 30 difficult medical cases since Ken and found loving homes for them all. I have raised more than half a million dollars for animal welfare organizations. I have worked with brands such as Toyota, Chewy, The Farmer’s Dog and Williams Sonoma. I grew my audience to over two million followers across platforms.
And my biggest dream came true. I wrote a memoir called “Dogs, Boys and Other Things I Cry About” and it will be published in the spring.
I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have made a career doing exactly what I’ve always dreamed of: helping dogs and telling stories. I have more freedom, I make more money, and I make a bigger impact.
Perched in the bedroom with our foster dog, Simon.
Photo: Isabel Klee
My best advice for turning your passion into a career
My biggest advice to people who want to turn their passion into a full-time job is to start small. I worked as a freelance content producer for a year and a half before setting out on my own. I reached out to every dog brand I could think of and asked if they needed help creating content or managing their social media.
My biggest client was Adopt a Pet and Kinship where I traveled to shelters and featured adoptable dogs. It wasn’t until working full time and creating content became unsustainable that I actually quit those jobs. But the connections I made definitely helped me chart my path as an independent creator.
Spending time with Simon never gets old.
Photo: Isabel Klee
Every day looks different for me: some days I pick up a dog from the shelter and clean up its feces, and some days I take photos with my previously adopted dogs. Oscar de la Rentaand some days I just sit in a cafe and hope to make it to my writing deadline on time.
What becomes most evident to me with each foster dog and each journey I document is that dogs are one of the greatest human bonds we have.
They represent life, love, loss, joy, sadness and living each day, moment by moment. They ground us, they motivate us, and when you tell their stories, people can’t help but listen. Never in a million years did I think that telling my stories could turn into a career. But as I sit in my apartment in Brooklyn with my rescue dog snoring at my feet, I am forever grateful.
Isabel Klee is a dog owner, writer and content creator. He shares his experiences rehabilitating foster dogs on social media @SimonSits. She lives in Brooklyn with her fiancé Jacob and rescue dog Simon. He is the author of the upcoming memoir “Dogs, Men and Other Things I Cry About“
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