Weather Dog

Meet Weather Dog

Meet Stormy, News 9's Weather Dog. Discovered at the Central Oklahoma Humane Society, Stormy joins Chief Meteorologist Gary England and the News 9 Weather Team and helps kids learn about severe weather safety in a program called Those Terrible Twisters.

You will also see Stormy and Gary out and about in other places. We receive lots of questions about Stormy, how she was trained, and what she does for fun. Stormy's trainer, Diane, answers your most asked questions.

Weather Dog FAQ

• How old is Stormy?

  Stormy was born in January 2010. You can see how Stormy celebrated her first birthday by clicking on “Stormy Celebrates Her First Birthday” in the video player.

• What kind of dog is Stormy?

  We don't know for sure, but there is definitely some type of Terrier in her.

• What is Stormy's favorite trick?

  She loves to wave "hi."

• Where does Stormy live?

  She lives in far Eastern Oklahoma County on an acreage with two dogs and other farm animals.

• What does Stormy like to do when she isn't teaching kids about severe weather safety?

  She loves to dig in her sandbox and chase after the other dogs that live with her

• Who trained Stormy?

  Diane Myers is Stormy's trainer and "Mom." Along with training Stormy, Diane also operates a boarding, grooming, and day care center for both dogs and cats.

• Is Stormy stubborn? Was she easy to train?

  She has her stubborn moments. Sometimes she would rather be playing than training, but overall, she was very easy to train. Puppies are wonderful to work with because they haven't already learned or practiced bad behaviors.

• How does Stormy know who to pay attention to during Those Terrible Twisters? She sometimes looks at you and other times she looks at Gary.

  We use hand signals and body language. She has learned during practice where her attention needs to be at any given time.

• I see Stormy receive treats during the shows. What happens when you don't have any treats?

  We think of treats as her paycheck. When she is working, and if she has done a good job, she gets paid. As she practices, and as her tricks become second nature, the treats become less frequent. Unlike people, she will eventually work for fewer paychecks as she gets better at her job.

Finding Our New Friend

When we decided to make Weather Dog an addition to our News 9 family, we wanted to ensure two things: that we found a dog who needed to be rescued and that we found a dog who would truly enjoy going places and meeting people. The Central Oklahoma Humane Society was our destination. With a professional dog trainer and camera in tow, we went in search of Weather Dog. There were many beautiful and friendly dogs at the shelter that day. We found the staff there to be very helpful. It was difficult not being able to bring every dog home and it is our hope that many of you will consider adopting a rescue dog the next time you want to add to your family. We encourage you to visit the Central Oklahoma Humane Society website at www.okhumane.org. To see the most current listing of adoptable dogs and cats, simply click on “pets for adoption” found under the “adopt” tab. The Central Oklahoma Humane Society is, however, just one option. There are many outstanding rescue groups in our area. If you are already the proud pet parent of a dog and/or cat, we hope you will consider spaying or neutering your family member to help drive down the number of unwanted and abandoned pets.

Pointers for new pet parents

If you're a pet parent, or thinking of becoming one, Stormy's trainer offers up some great advice each month on 405moms.com. Check out her articles below.

• Surviving Severe Weather with Pets
• Keeping Your Pets Safe In Extreme Temperatures
• Your Children, Dogs & Saftey
• Pets & The Holidays
• Choosing the Right Dog for Your Family
• Is Your Family Ready for a Pet?

Weather Dog brought to you by:

If you have questions about weather dog or your own dog, visit: www.dogsweetdog.com