Rescue Dog Repeatedly Featured on Colbert Is Still Up for Adoption

Until recently, every dog featured in Stephen Colbert’s recurring segment “Rescue Dog Rescue”—185, in total—had found a home. Then came Norbert.

After appearing in two editions of The Late Show‘s comedic but real-life showcase of dogs available for adoption, Norbert still hadn’t been placed. So this past Monday, Colbert and crew had the pup back on the show once again, this time in a segment all his own, hosted by actor Sam Waterston.

“Let me show you what your life would be like if you let Norbert into your heart and your home,” Waterston said at the top of a two-minute video that showed the dog (with the aid of some puppet hands) preparing a morning mimosa, digging up dinosaur bones and selling them on eBay for a tidy profit, and giving a massage.

“What are you waiting for?” Waterston asked in conclusion. “Adopt Norbert today.”

Like all of The Late Show‘s Rescue Dog Rescue dogs, Norbert is one of the many pets housed by North Shore Animal League America, where he’s known by his real name, Lucky. (“Norbert” is apparently his stage name.)

The organization tells LateNighter that it has received dozens of inquiries since Monday’s broadcast. “People have been reaching out by phone and via social media from all over the country interested in adopting. Our staff is responding to all of them, vetting prospective adopters, and hoping to find the right match.”

That outpouring isn’t necessarily surprising. According to Animal League America, Colbert’s Rescue Dog Rescue segments typically generate a noticeable uptick in interested adopters.

“The morning after a Rescue Dog Rescue segment airs, our Customer Service team is ready for the incoming phone calls about the dogs featured on the show the night before,” they tell us. That response extends to social media interest and walk-in visits to the organization’s Port Washington, New York campus.

But Lucky has endured a long journey to finding the right home. The dog was first brought to Animal League America in 2016 after being rescued from Virginia. He was eventually adopted and “lived eight years in a loving home” before “unfortunate circumstances—no fault of his own—led him to being returned” to the organization this past October.

Now, Animal League America says, “everyone wants Lucky to find another loving home where he will be treated like the beloved family member he once was.” Finding the right fit is often not easy for senior dogs like Lucky. “While everyone who meets him loves him, the truth is adopting an older, large breed, black dog can be a challenge,” Animal League America says.

After Lucky’s return to the rescue org, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert featured him in a November segment alongside Chris Evans, and then a December installment featuring Dua Lipa. When the dog still hadn’t found a home by the new year, the Late Show team decided to redouble their efforts, hence the segment aired by the show earlier this week.

The challenge older dogs face in finding homes is something The Late Show has sought to highlight on Rescue Dog Rescue, making sure to include older and special needs dogs in each if the on-air showcases.

North Shore Animal League America has been working with The Late Show since its first season. In that time, the organization has made over 30 appearances on the program. (The process of taping the segments, they note, involves long days at the Ed Sullivan Theater aided by Late Show staffers, as well as Animal League America staff and volunteers.) 

“Letting potential adopters know which ones were featured on Colbert is really icing on the cake, something unique about the pups because adorable puppies get themselves adopted,” Animal League America says. “When we tell people we’re the ones who bring the puppies to Colbert for Rescue Dog Rescue, their eyes light up.”

Lucky’s search for a new home continues. Prospective adopters can visit the dog’s own adoption page on Animal League America’s website, which features countless other pets seeking permanent homes.