Jon Stewart is known for his pithy political commentary on “The Daily Show,” yet he shared another side of himself on the episode that aired on February 26, 2024.
He took a moment at the end of the show to mark the passing of his dog, who he and his family adopted years ago.
Jon Stewart explained the beauty of finding ‘that one dog’ as he mourned his ‘good boy’ Dipper.
He told the story of the day he met the dog he would call his own after his kids decided they wanted to raise money for a New York City animal shelter, Animal Haven.
“They do incredible work,” Stewart said of the shelter. “It’s a no-kill shelter for cats and dogs.”
“We baked a couple of cupcakes and rolled on down and set up a little table right outside and put the cupcakes out,” he recalled. “As a little extra incentive, they brought out this 1-ish-year-old brindle pit bull, who had been hit by a car in Brooklyn and lost his right leg.”
Stewart choked up as he recounted meeting that special dog, saying, “I thought I’d get further” into telling the story before the emotion overwhelmed him.
“They put the dog in my lap and we left that day feeling really good that we’d helped this great organization,” he shared. “And we also left with this 1-ish-year-old brindle pitbull. We called him Dipper.”
Photo: Erik McLean / Pexels
“In a world of good boys, he was the best,” Stewart exclaimed before he broke into tears. “Dipper passed away yesterday,” Stewart revealed. “He was ready. He was tired. But I wasn’t.”
He noted that his family was all together with Dipper as he passed. He then addressed the audience, touching on the love that dogs bring into their humans' lives.
‘My wish for you is one day, you find that dog, that one dog. It’s the best,' Stewart said.
All of our pets are loveable and loved, yet sometimes, you make a connection with that one special animal, the dog who steals your heart, who becomes the reason you get out of bed in the mornings, if only to give them their prized sniffy walk and delicious kibble breakfast.
Dipper seems to have been Stewart’s soul dog, also known as heart dog or spirit dog. They’re the pups that come into your life when you need them most, the pups you share a deep connection with.
A soul dog is a dog who shows you how to love, who opens your heart in a time when you thought you were closed off.
It’s valuable to note that Stewart’s soul dog was a pit bull, a kind of dog that’s often maligned as being dangerous. Dogs who are labeled as pit bulls at shelters often have a hard time being adopted. A study from 2016 noted that pit bulls spend three times as long in shelters, waiting to find their forever family, as dogs who look like pits but are labeled differently.
Photo: Rachel Claire / Pexels
Stewart shared his daily routine with Dipper, saying, “He was part of the OG Daily Show dog crew. We’d come and tape the show, and Dipper would wait for me to be done. He met actors and authors and presidents and kings.”
Stewart then shared the show’s Moment of Zen, showing a clip of Dipper frolicking in the snow with a beloved ball.
Stewart's tribute to Dipper is a reminder of how significant our relationships with animals can be.
Our pets are more than just companions. They are family. Be it a reptile, bird, cat, or dog, these loving beings change our lives and teach us without words the true meaning of unconditional love. When they cross the rainbow bridge, they take a piece of our hearts with them as evidenced by Stewart's emotional breakdown.
Their connection is something that will live in Stewart's memory for the rest of his life, as our love for our soul dogs is truly everlasting.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.
