From a border collie at a shopping mall to a pit bull in a Mississippi truck stop, The Dogs Who Found Me recounts the stories of a dozen dogs who chose author Ken Foster to rescue them. Initially reluctant, Foster set a four-hour time limit for placing the first strange dog he brought into his New York City apartment, only to discover that this would be the first of many dogs who would seemingly choose him to lead them, one way or another, to their new home. In addition to the personal stories, The Dogs Who Found Me offers expert advice and answers the essential questions: How should you approach an abandoned dog? How do you integrate a temporary animal guest into your household? What resources are available in your area? Are some dogs beyond rescue? Why do some dogs fear your help? Should we ever give up on a dog?

"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." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"His warm, candid, and unusual account...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." Booklist

"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. 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." Roxana Robinson

"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

"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

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

Disaster-prone writer and reluctant dog rescuer Ken Foster finds himself centered by the presence of an ever-growing collection of stray dogs. In this memoir-cum-guidebook, Foster describes the dogs who found him, 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 recent misfortunes: the shock of New York City after 9/11, the deaths of two close friends, a near fatal heart condition and the evacuation of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. He writes eloquently about the world of animal shelters, the nature of compassion, and the empowering effect of rescuing — and being rescued.

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. He has taught at The New School, Florida State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg, where he lives with at least three dogs.