0:59
- living
- May 24, 2018
How this therapy dog became a social media star
If you haven't seen this adorable ball of white fluff, check him out!
0:59
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/norbert-high-five-dog2-ht-mem-180523_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
The award-winning author said she knew it was meant to be and \"he was just my buddy from the start and I took him everywhere. He was just used to being around lots of people.\"
It was this level of comfort that made the little guy perfect as a therapy puppy. And that's where his fame began.
got gussied up for all the moms ?? #happymothersday
A post shared by NORBERT (@norbertthedog) on May 13, 2018 at 1:30pm PDT
Norbert started volunteering at a local retirement home and Steines' brother said she should start a Facebook page.
\"He slowly started to get a following, mostly just friends and family at first,\" she said. \"Then I had this dream to publish a children's book with my mother. We thought Norbert's story of finding his purpose in life as a therapy dog would translate beautifully to a picture book. I was the author and my mother was the illustrator. It did remarkable well.\"
happiest #NationalHighFive day buddies
A post shared by NORBERT (@norbertthedog) on Apr 19, 2018 at 6:05pm PDT
A post shared by NORBERT (@norbertthedog) on Dec 9, 2017 at 11:07am PST
Norbert's social media just grew from there and the family added an Instagram page as well. With over 1 million followers on Facebook and 600,000 on Instagram, Norbert has quite the fan base.
\"Now, he has four books and we just made a plush toy,\" she said. \"It wasn't this overnight success-type thing at all! It's been quite a journey, something I never anticipated.\"
Norberts! Announcing my new cute mini plush toy. Now available for pre-order. Click bio link ????
A post shared by NORBERT (@norbertthedog) on Apr 2, 2018 at 2:01pm PDT
Norbert and Steines are about much more than social media; they are about making people smile. In addition to his travels to retirement homes and children's hospitals, Norbert made a special trip to see a very special boy.
Steines said she got an email one day from someone in California.
\"Their son had cancer and they asked if Norbert could make him smile,\" she said. \"I just had this feeling I was supposed to do more.\"
A post shared by NORBERT (@norbertthedog) on Jan 11, 2018 at 1:37pm PST
She went ahead and asked her husband if they could fly to the boy's home and surprise him for Christmas.
\"We went to their house, hung out for an hour and gave him high fives,\" she said. \"It was one of the most memorable things Norbert and I have done. Sadly, the boy passed away, but we are still connected to the family on social media. They are just such wonderful people and it breaks our hearts that anyone would have to go through something like that.\"
While Norbert has a huge platform, the foundation for everything the duo does is \"giving back,\" she said.
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