A no-kill animal shelter in New York City says it is receiving an influx of donations in memory of Jon Stewart’s late dog, following the “Daily Show” host’s emotional eulogy for his beloved three-legged rescue this week.
As of Friday afternoon, Animal Haven in Manhattan received nearly $50,000 in memory of Dipper, who was adopted by Stewart and his family from the shelter over a decade ago, said Animal Haven Executive Director Tiffany Lacey.
“In Jon’s message, he never said, ‘Donate to Animal Haven.’ And literally almost minutes after that aired, the donations started coming in,” Lacey told HuffPost of Stewart’s on-air tribute.
“I think that it’s a testament to the fact that so many people have lost animals. He touched a nerve that everybody knows the feeling of.”
On Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Dipper was memorialized by Stewart as “the best” canine companion after he and his children met the pooch during a fundraiser for the shelter.
“They put the dog in my lap, and we left that day feeling really good. We’d helped this great organization, and we also left with this 1-ish-year-old brindle pitbull,” he said while choking back tears. “We named him Dipper, and in a world of good boys, he was the best.”
“My wish for you,” he told viewers, “is that one day you find that dog, that one dog. It’s just, it’s the best.”
Lacey said the on-air tribute came as a “total surprise” to everyone at the shelter.
“We didn’t know that Jon was going to mention us,” she said. In addition to a wave of financial donations following the “Daily Show” episode, the shelter has seen an increase in adoption inquiries and purchases from its online wish lists, she said.
“At this time we are overcapacity like so many other shelters, and have well over 100,” Lacey said, tallying the dogs and cats now at Animal Haven. “The money will go directly to care for our current 60 dogs, puppies looking for a home, via vet care, training, food, medicine, treats and love.”
In honor of Dipper, the shelter said that it is reducing its adoption fees by $100 for all dogs through March. The hope, the organization said in an online statement, is “that we can fulfill Jon’s wish of helping you find ‘that one dog.’”
“Everything kind of surges when something like this starts to happen so I’m hoping the end result, when we look back after a couple of weeks, [is that] our adoption numbers will be up,” Lacey said.
Animal Haven, founded in 1967, works to provide homes for abandoned dogs and cats throughout the tri-state area. Though the organization says it is often at capacity, it vows to never euthanize an animal due to space or time constraints.
“Adoptable animals will stay in our care for as long as it takes to get them adopted or placed in a more suitable rescue or foster situation,” reads the organization’s website, which featured dozens of dogs and cats available for adoption as of Friday afternoon.
Those not able to donate financially are encouraged to mail or drop off towels or other linens for the animals, Lacey said.