Want to know what the summer hurricane season holds? Then check with Stormy the Weather Dog, East Texas’s most famous – if unlikely – weathercaster.
Viewers who tune into CBS 19’s evening newscasts will see the former rescue’s “Dog Walking Forecast” during the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. broadcasts. Stormy’s first hint about what the weather holds is his outfit – a light sweater for a cool evening, for example, or a heavy parka if colder temps loom. Stormy then presses a button to activate a graphic that details the evening’s weather. Voilà, a weather dog is born!
Stormy was rescued by the station’s general manager, Phil Hurley, from a Texas shelter. Hurley got the idea to adopt a dog after watching a news report about the number of animals being destroyed at the shelter. After seeing the success of another weather dog on an NBC station in Houston, Hurley decided to give Stormy a job.
And what a job it is. Stormy has the run of the studio space and receives private obedience lessons. He also serves as a spokesdog for the local SPCA, and makes public appearances at area schools and clubs with the station’s chief meteorologist, Doc Deason. As they say, it’s a dog’s life.
To learn more about Stormy, visit http://www.cbs19.tv/anchor-stormy.php.