Death of Jon Stewart's dog prompts flood of donations to animal shelter

Jon Stewart's tearful farewell to his dog, Dipper, on The Daily Show Monday quickly had the New York City animal shelter the pup came from inundated with donations. Five days later, the money is still rolling in.

"We're just shy of $50,000," Tiffany Lacey, Animal Haven's executive director, told CBS News on Friday. "This is a big deal, and it's unexpected," she said of the donations. 

"This is in memory of Dipper, so the donations will be used for the dogs," notably vet care, training, food and treats, Lacey added.

The no-kill shelter, which is in Manhattan, has an operating budget of about $3 million and houses about 100 dogs and cats at a time. 

The TV segment that moved viewers to send the shelter money had Stewart relaying how Dipper entered his life about 12 years ago, because his kids, then six and seven, wanted to raise money for the shelter by selling cupcakes they had baked.

"They brought out this one-ish year-old brindle pit bull hit by a car in Brooklyn and lost his right leg," Stewart said during the program, before breaking down. "They put the dog in my lap, and we left that day feeling really good that we'd helped this great organization, and we also left with this one-ish brindle pit bull that we called Dipper."

"It was love at first sight, I think for both of them," said Lacey, who recalled Stewart sitting with the puppy in his lap for the entire event. Stewart's dog was always swimming and jumping around, she said. "He didn't need four legs." 

Or, as Steward told his audience: "In a world of good boys, he was the best," relaying how Dipper came to work with him each day,  and even managed to do what the Taliban could not —frighten Malala Yousafzai. He then showed a video of the women's rights activist and Nobel Prize winner fleeing from a barking Dipper, saying "Oh dear, it's a dog!" 

Stewart ended his segment by telling viewers: "My wish for you is one day you find that dog, that one dog that is the best."

The Stewart family has adopted multiple pets from Animal Haven, Lacey said, imploring others to consider adopting animals.

Dogs are in particular need right now, she noted, echoing other shelters that have reported being overwhelmed by abandoned dogs.

"It's good news for the cats, as kitten and cat adoptions are way up," she said, urging people to "donate, adopt, volunteer — always adopt, don't shop." 

Kate Gibson

Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York.