Unexpected layoff forces new path
The day before her 30th birthday, Klee was laid off. With no immediate employment, she considered two options: apply for another traditional job or attempt independent work focused on animal welfare. She chose the latter, deciding to build a personal brand around foster care and storytelling.
The timing coincided with a move to an eighth New York apartment, this time featuring an uncommon amenity: a backyard. Alongside her fiancé, Jacob, and their special-needs rescue dog, Simon, she recognized that the additional space and a supportive landlord would allow her to foster dogs consistently.
Social media experiment gains momentum
In late 2021, the couple collected their first foster, a Heeler mix called Ken. During the subway ride to the transport van, Klee asked Jacob to record a short video for her Instagram account, then home to about 50,000 followers. Her objective was to demystify fostering by showing every step—from picking up a dog to integrating the animal into a home.
She edited the footage into a concise narrative and posted it to Instagram and TikTok. The TikTok version reached approximately 257,000 views, 27,000 likes and more than 500 comments. Buoyed by the response, she documented Ken’s bath, playtime with Simon, bubble-chasing in the yard and eventual adoption. Each clip added followers eager for a positive outcome.
Focus on medical and behavioral cases
Encouraged by the initial success, Klee began fostering dogs with complex medical or behavioral needs, a decision influenced by Simon’s lifelong struggle with idiopathic epilepsy. Because most rescue groups cover food, supplies and veterinary care for fosters, her primary investment was time and emotional energy.
Since Ken, she has fostered nearly 30 challenging cases and secured permanent homes for each animal. One dog, Gus, was adopted by her parents. Another, Poutine, earned widespread attention when followers watched recovery updates. In total, her content has helped raise more than $500,000 for animal welfare organizations.
Revenue streams and brand partnerships
The growing audience attracted commercial interest. To date, Klee has produced sponsored content for Toyota, Chewy, The Farmer’s Dog and Williams Sonoma. Earnings from partnerships, combined with platform monetization, now exceed her former salary, while allowing a flexible schedule.
Imagem: Isabel Klee
Industry data indicate that brand spending on pet-related influencer marketing continues to rise. According to the American Pet Products Association, U.S. consumers spent $147 billion on pets in 2023, signaling sustained advertiser demand for authentic voices in the sector.
Publishing milestone
Capitalizing on her expanded platform, Klee secured a book deal. Her memoir, “Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About,” is scheduled for publication in spring 2025. The work blends personal narrative with accounts of fostering and is positioned as the next step in her storytelling career.
Advice for turning passion into work
Klee recommends an incremental approach for others seeking to monetize interests. Before focusing exclusively on her own channels, she spent 18 months freelancing for dog-related companies, creating social media content and managing accounts. Her largest client, Adopt a Pet in partnership with Kinship, funded shelter visits where she highlighted adoptable animals. When freelance and full-time duties conflicted, she transitioned fully to independent creation, supported by contacts formed during that period.
She also encourages aspiring foster caregivers to research local rescue organizations. Many, including national groups such as the ASPCA, provide training and cover all expenses, lowering barriers for first-time volunteers.
Day-to-day reality
Klee’s routine varies widely. One day may involve retrieving a dog from a city shelter and cleaning it, another may feature a high-profile photo shoot with previous fosters for a fashion brand, and another may be spent in a coffee shop meeting writing deadlines. Yet each day centers on dogs and the stories they generate—a subject she believes resonates because animals reflect universal themes of love, loss and resilience.
From her Brooklyn apartment, where Simon frequently sleeps at her feet, Klee now views herself as both caretaker and chronicler. The online community she cultivated not only funds her livelihood but also delivers concrete assistance to animals that might otherwise be overlooked. For her, the combination of impact, independence and income fulfills a goal first imagined in Manhattan shelter corridors more than a decade ago.
Crédito da imagem: Isabel Klee
