Have you had your daily sob session yet today? If not, then grab the tissues, because you’re about to. (And if you have, congrats! There’s no harm in crying again.) If you’ve been on TikTok at all in the past couple of weeks, you’ve likely heard about Tiki, the extremely fearful but sweet foster dog who’s captured the hearts of many. But who is Tiki — what’s his story? And, more importantly, how is his progress coming along?
Tiki is currently in the care of writer, content creator, and dog fostering and adoption advocate Isabel Klee and her fiancé, Jacob. Klee has gone viral many times before as she’s documented her various foster dog experiences, but Tiki might be her most heartwarming foster adventure yet.
Klee first posted about Tiki on April 26, in a video titled “Taking in my most difficult foster dog yet.” In the video, she explained that Tiki was part of a group of dogs rescued by the ASPCA and taken to the New York-based Muddy Paws Rescue organization. “[Tiki] was described as by far the most shut-down of the group,” Klee said. “Obviously, as soon as I saw that, I said, ‘That is the one that I want.'”
Since then, Klee has been sharing daily videos updating fans on Tiki’s slow but promising progress. Highlights include Tiki feeling brave enough to come out of his crate, bonding with Klee’s adopted dog, Simon, and finally asking to be pet by Klee. (You’re crying by now, aren’t you?)
Naturally, the internet is obsessed with Tiki and keeping tabs on his daily progress. “Please tell Tiki we are so proud of him!!” Kylie Kelce commented on one of Klee’s videos. (Same, Kylie.)
What Happened To Tiki?
Considering Tiki’s fearfulness (plus his shaved face), many have wondered about Tiki’s past. But while Klee has been sharing plenty of updates about Tiki’s progress in her care, one thing she doesn’t speak much about is what happened to Tiki that got him to where he is today — and for good reason. “The ASPCA deals with a lot of criminal cases, legal cases, complicated community cases in which the information about the previous owners and the dogs are extremely sensitive,” Klee said in her first TikTok about Tiki. “So, for that reason, I am not going to share any of the backstory, and I hope you guys understand. But just know that it was not the best circumstance.”
As of May 12, Tiki still has quite a few milestones to reach before he’s ready to find his forever home, but with the help of the Klee household (and support from millions of fans on the internet), he’s well on his way.