{"id":435409,"date":"2026-09-14T08:38:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/435409\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T08:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:38:23","slug":"remembering-radar-10-years-since-we-said-goodbye-to-kprc-2s-beloved-weather-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/435409\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Radar: 10 years since we said goodbye to KPRC 2’s beloved weather dog"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON \u2013 If you watched KPRC 2 in the early 2000s, there\u2019s a good chance you remember a particularly furry member of our weather team.<\/p>\n

No, he wasn\u2019t very good at reading a radar \u2014 but his name was Radar. <\/p>\n

For several years, the shaggy Wheaten Terrier mix could be spotted alongside Chief Meteorologist Frank Billingsley<\/a>, sitting at the anchor desk, helping with the dog-walking forecast and generally stealing the show whenever he appeared on camera.<\/p>\n

No description found\"\"<\/p>\n

September 14 marks 10 years since Radar died<\/a> at the age of 12. And while plenty has changed around KPRC 2 since then, we haven\u2019t forgotten the little shelter dog who became a Houston television personality.<\/p>\n

How Radar found his way to Channel 2<\/p>\n

Like many good stories, Radar\u2019s started somewhat by accident.<\/p>\n

Before the television appearances and adoring viewers, Radar was a puppy at the Houston Humane Society.<\/p>\n

The organization later remembered him as an unusually patient little guy. While other dogs jumped around their kennels trying to get someone\u2019s attention, Radar would sit quietly and wait.<\/p>\n

Then he came to KPRC 2.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And we fell in love with him.<\/p>\n

\"\"Radar’s first appearance on KPRC 2 in 2004. (KPRC-TV Click2Houston)<\/p>\n

KPRC 2 adopted the pup, but our newest employee still needed a name. So, naturally, we put that decision in the hands of Houston.<\/p>\n

Viewers voted online between several weather-inspired options, including Sunny, Twister and Radar.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t particularly close. Radar took 62% of the vote.<\/p>\n

On April 21, 2004, Radar the Weather Dog officially made his KPRC 2 debut.<\/p>\n

He was only supposed to appear occasionally. That plan didn\u2019t last very long.<\/p>\n

\"\"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<\/p>\n

Viewers began contacting the station asking to see more of him.<\/p>\n

So Radar went through training, learned how to behave around the newsroom and quickly became a regular fixture on Channel 2.<\/p>\n

For roughly three years, Radar appeared alongside Billingsley during weather segments, including our nightly dog-walking forecast.<\/p>\n

And apparently, Radar learned how live television worked, too.<\/p>\n

One of our favorite stories from his time at KPRC 2 happened while Radar was hanging out in the news director\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, he started barking and pawing at the door.<\/p>\n

Someone let him out, and Radar took off through the station toward his spot at the anchor desk.<\/p>\n

There was a reason.<\/p>\n

It was time for his weather appearance.<\/p>\n

The humans had lost track of time.<\/p>\n

Radar hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

More than our weather dog<\/p>\n

Radar may have been very good at being cute on television, but there was always something bigger behind his story.<\/p>\n

He was a shelter dog.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Houston Humane Society<\/a> eventually dubbed him its \u201cmost famous alumnus.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Radar\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

A good dog. Loved drinking out of the newsroom hallway toilet in the old building. RIP Radar.<\/p>\n

KPRC 2 Anchor Joel Eisenbaum<\/p>\n

Radar became a familiar face outside the station, too, making appearances around Houston and meeting the viewers who watched him on television.<\/p>\n

And back at Channel 2, he was simply part of the family.<\/p>\n

The Houston Humane Society recalled that Radar received emails, toys and gifts from viewers \u2014 while people at the station competed for the chance to take him home on weekends.<\/p>\n

Not bad for a shelter puppy.<\/p>\n

Retirement looks pretty good when you\u2019re a dog<\/p>\n

After nearly three years of regular television appearances, Radar stepped away from his on-air duties in 2007.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

His days became considerably less demanding.<\/p>\n

There were trips to the dog park. Time outside. Plenty of playing.<\/p>\n

And, as we reported at the time, probably \u201ca treat or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Radar still stopped by Channel 2 from time to time.<\/p>\n

In 2011, he returned to the newsroom and reunited with some familiar faces, including Billingsley, Khambrel Marshall, Dominique Sachse and Mary Benton.<\/p>\n

And yes, Radar made another appearance on the 10 p.m. news.<\/p>\n

Some habits are hard to break.<\/p>\n

\"\"Frank and Radar (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)A tough diagnosis<\/p>\n

By 2014, Radar was getting older.<\/p>\n

That year, a growth was discovered on one of his toes<\/a>. Tests eventually confirmed it was cancerous.<\/p>\n

There was some good news: Doctors found no evidence at the time that the cancer had spread beyond the toe.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The surgery was successful, and Radar went back home to recover.<\/p>\n

But time was catching up with our former weather dog.<\/p>\n

Saying goodbye<\/p>\n

Radar died on Sept. 14, 2016. He was 12 years old.<\/p>\n

For those of us at KPRC 2, it meant losing a member of the family.<\/p>\n

And judging by the messages that poured in after his death, plenty of Houstonians felt like they\u2019d lost one, too.<\/p>\n

There was really only one appropriate way to honor him.<\/p>\n

Later that month, KPRC 2 teamed up with the Houston Humane Society for Radar\u2019s Pet Adoption Day<\/a>, helping other shelter animals find families of their own.<\/p>\n

The Humane Society continued honoring him the following year, dedicating its 2017 K-9 Fun Run to \u201cRemembering Radar.\u201d<\/p>\n

It brought Radar\u2019s story back to where everything started.<\/p>\n

A shelter dog looking for a home.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, we still remember Radar<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to believe it\u2019s been a decade.<\/p>\n

Television has changed. Houston has changed. Our newsroom has changed.<\/p>\n

But dig through the KPRC 2 archives from the 2000s and, every once in a while, there he is.<\/p>\n

A shaggy little dog sitting at the anchor desk.<\/p>\n

No description found\"\"<\/p>\n

For some viewers, Radar was part of the evening news. For others \u2014 particularly those who grew up watching Channel 2 \u2014 he\u2019s one of those little pieces of Houston nostalgia you may not have thought about in years.<\/p>\n

And his story still means something.<\/p>\n

Radar came to our station because he needed a home.<\/p>\n

Instead, he found an entire city.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, we still miss you, Radar.<\/p>\n

Daily Forecast\"\"<\/p>\n

More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n

Anthony’s Weather Lab\"\"<\/p>\n

More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 If you watched KPRC 2 in the early 2000s, there\u2019s a good chance you remember a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435410,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2419,56,58,8785,57,37862,150966],"class_list":["post-435409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-history","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-humane-society","tag-houston-news","tag-kprc-2","tag-radar-the-weather-dog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}