New Amsterdam actor Ryan Eggold takes part in PETA campaign

On NBC‘s New Amsterdam, Dr. Max Goodwin’s heart belongs to Dr. Helen Sharpe. But the actor behind the character has another favorite gal – his beloved dog, Jody!

Actor Ryan Eggold has partnered up with animal rights organization PETA to take part in their campaign to encourage fans to find their own man’s best friend by adopting a shelter dog. Jody is a rescue who the actor brought home over 10 years.

“I walked around the shelter and Jody just jumped up and was licking my hands, like, ‘we’re friends. We’re friends now. Let’s hang out.’ Since that day, we’ve been pretty much inseparable,” he said in the campaign video.

Ryan Eggold takes part in PETA campaign

According to a PETA press release, the organization launched the campaign because of reports that animal shelters are facing a flood of homeless animals due to the pandemic. Around 70 million dogs and cats are homeless in the U.S. at any given time.

Around 10% of the animals end up in shelters where many eventually have to be euthanized because of injury, illness, old age, emotional and psychological damage, and a lack of good homes, according to the nonprofit.

That’s why Eggold and PETA are advocating for adoption, including senior dogs. Senior dogs, like Jody, are often overlooked at shelters and have a much lower adoption rate compared to younger pups.

A list of other celebrities have also joined the PETA campaign including Tom Hardy, John Stamos, Cristin Milioti, Brian Cox, and Laurie Metcalf. Check out Eggold and Jody in the campaign video below. That dog is too cute!

After about a two month break, New Amsterdam returned with a new episode this week. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu and can be watched live Tuesdays on NBC.