HOUSTON – If you watched KPRC 2 in the early 2000s, there’s a good chance you remember a particularly furry member of our weather team.
No, he wasn’t very good at reading a radar — but his name was Radar.
For several years, the shaggy Wheaten Terrier mix could be spotted alongside Chief Meteorologist Frank Billingsley, sitting at the anchor desk, helping with the dog-walking forecast and generally stealing the show whenever he appeared on camera.
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September 14 marks 10 years since Radar died at the age of 12. And while plenty has changed around KPRC 2 since then, we haven’t forgotten the little shelter dog who became a Houston television personality.
How Radar found his way to Channel 2
Like many good stories, Radar’s started somewhat by accident.
Before the television appearances and adoring viewers, Radar was a puppy at the Houston Humane Society.
The organization later remembered him as an unusually patient little guy. While other dogs jumped around their kennels trying to get someone’s attention, Radar would sit quietly and wait.
Then he came to KPRC 2.
Radar was brought to the station in 2004 as part of a Houston Humane Society pet adoption segment. He was about four months old at the time.
And we fell in love with him.
Radar’s first appearance on KPRC 2 in 2004. (KPRC-TV Click2Houston)
KPRC 2 adopted the pup, but our newest employee still needed a name. So, naturally, we put that decision in the hands of Houston.
Viewers voted online between several weather-inspired options, including Sunny, Twister and Radar.
It wasn’t particularly close. Radar took 62% of the vote.
On April 21, 2004, Radar the Weather Dog officially made his KPRC 2 debut.
He was only supposed to appear occasionally. That plan didn’t last very long.
Radar the Weather Dog plushie behind his “Our Forever Sunshine” artwork on the Wall of Memorabilia at the KPRC 2 station on Sept. 13, 2026. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)Houston wanted more Radar
Viewers began contacting the station asking to see more of him.
So Radar went through training, learned how to behave around the newsroom and quickly became a regular fixture on Channel 2.
For roughly three years, Radar appeared alongside Billingsley during weather segments, including our nightly dog-walking forecast.
And apparently, Radar learned how live television worked, too.
One of our favorite stories from his time at KPRC 2 happened while Radar was hanging out in the news director’s office.
Suddenly, he started barking and pawing at the door.
Someone let him out, and Radar took off through the station toward his spot at the anchor desk.
There was a reason.
It was time for his weather appearance.
The humans had lost track of time.
Radar hadn’t.
More than our weather dog
Radar may have been very good at being cute on television, but there was always something bigger behind his story.
He was a shelter dog.
As his popularity grew, Radar became an ambassador for responsible pet ownership and animal adoption. His appearances helped KPRC 2 talk with viewers about everything from veterinary care to finding homes for shelter animals.
The Houston Humane Society eventually dubbed him its “most famous alumnus.”
During Radar’s first Christmas at KPRC 2, we even sold a limited-edition stuffed Radar. Proceeds helped provide a donation to the Houston Humane Society to care for other animals waiting for homes.
A good dog. Loved drinking out of the newsroom hallway toilet in the old building. RIP Radar.
KPRC 2 Anchor Joel Eisenbaum
Radar became a familiar face outside the station, too, making appearances around Houston and meeting the viewers who watched him on television.
And back at Channel 2, he was simply part of the family.
The Houston Humane Society recalled that Radar received emails, toys and gifts from viewers — while people at the station competed for the chance to take him home on weekends.
Not bad for a shelter puppy.
Retirement looks pretty good when you’re a dog
After nearly three years of regular television appearances, Radar stepped away from his on-air duties in 2007.
He went to live full time with a longtime KPRC 2 staff member who had already been taking care of him during nights and weekends.
His days became considerably less demanding.
There were trips to the dog park. Time outside. Plenty of playing.
And, as we reported at the time, probably “a treat or two.”
Radar still stopped by Channel 2 from time to time.
In 2011, he returned to the newsroom and reunited with some familiar faces, including Billingsley, Khambrel Marshall, Dominique Sachse and Mary Benton.
And yes, Radar made another appearance on the 10 p.m. news.
Some habits are hard to break.
Frank and Radar (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)A tough diagnosis
By 2014, Radar was getting older.
That year, a growth was discovered on one of his toes. Tests eventually confirmed it was cancerous.
There was some good news: Doctors found no evidence at the time that the cancer had spread beyond the toe.
Radar underwent surgery in January 2015, removing the affected toe from his right rear paw. He also received a cancer vaccine intended to help his immune system fight any remaining cancer cells.
The surgery was successful, and Radar went back home to recover.
But time was catching up with our former weather dog.
Saying goodbye
Radar died on Sept. 14, 2016. He was 12 years old.
For those of us at KPRC 2, it meant losing a member of the family.
And judging by the messages that poured in after his death, plenty of Houstonians felt like they’d lost one, too.
There was really only one appropriate way to honor him.
Later that month, KPRC 2 teamed up with the Houston Humane Society for Radar’s Pet Adoption Day, helping other shelter animals find families of their own.
The Humane Society continued honoring him the following year, dedicating its 2017 K-9 Fun Run to “Remembering Radar.”
It brought Radar’s story back to where everything started.
A shelter dog looking for a home.
Ten years later, we still remember Radar
It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade.
Television has changed. Houston has changed. Our newsroom has changed.
But dig through the KPRC 2 archives from the 2000s and, every once in a while, there he is.
A shaggy little dog sitting at the anchor desk.
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For some viewers, Radar was part of the evening news. For others — particularly those who grew up watching Channel 2 — he’s one of those little pieces of Houston nostalgia you may not have thought about in years.
And his story still means something.
Radar came to our station because he needed a home.
Instead, he found an entire city.
Ten years later, we still miss you, Radar.
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