Crown Media
Happy the Dog and Happy the Cat on Hallmark are featured frequently during the holidays. You may have see them on advertisements, commercials, and headlining the Yule Log specials. But do you know how Happy the Dog and Happy the Cat came to join Hallmark? Read on for details about the adorable duo.
Happy the Dog Was Found Abandoned on the Streets of Los Angeles & the Previous Hallmark Channel CEO Adopted Him
Crown MediaHappy the Dog
Happy the Dog has been a favorite of fans on Hallmark. He’s a five-year-old Jack Russell Terrier mix founded abandoned in the streets of Los Angeles in 2015. He was about nine months old at the time and very emaciated from living alone, scrounging for food. (Now, his family guesses his birthday is April 1, 2015.) He was adopted by the Hallmark Channel’s former CEO, Bill Abbott, after a local animal shelter found him.
Happy became the Ambassador of Pawsitivity. He often stars in the Kitten Bowl and branched out into movies too. He starred on Switched for Christmas, but you can also see Happy the Dog on Love at the Shore, which aired in the summer of 2017.
More recently, he was in Hallmark Christmas commercials in 2020.
Play date w/ @hallmarkchannel‘s #HappyTheDog celebrating #AdoptaShelterPetDay follow @justjaredjr #OliviaAndHappyJJJ http://t.co/KuLdnYNRE8
Happy the Dog is also a therapy dog and visits children at Ronald McDonald House in LA.
How can you not love that face? #SwitchedforChristmas #HappytheDog #Rescuedogs
According to his Hallmark bio, Happy’s favorite things to do are curl up by a fire for a nap, play fetch, get scratches on his head, take naps in the sun, cuddle during rainy days, and learn new tricks.
Happy the Cat Was Adopted After Being in a Shelter for Two Years
Crown MediaHappy the Cat
Happy isn’t the former CEO’s only adorable pet. Abbott also adopted an orange male tabby from a shelter in Ohio. The cat had been in the shelter for two years before Abbott found him.
I like you just the way you are! #HappytheCat http://t.co/adgdjjwc5L http://t.co/csnIXUShwt
He’s known as Happy the Cat and also has starred in Hallmark movies.
Hallmark Channel describes Happy the Cat this way: “Happy is a ‘rescue’ cat. Thing is, Happy thinks it means something different… He thinks it’s a job title. See Happy believes it’s his job to rescue humans whenever they’re feeling sad, stressed or just looking for a fuzzy shoulder to lean on. His name and persona bring a smile to all he meets. Happy’s bowl is always half full. He is positively ecstatic about everything – always. And now, he wants to share that Happy-ness with the world.”
Oh my gosh, how cute! 🐶🐱#HappyTheDog #HappyTheCat @HappyCatandDog @hallmarkmovie @billabbottHC #AHappyYuleLog
Together Abbott’s dog and cat are known as Happy the Cat and Happy the Dog.
Have you met our Ambassador of Paws-itivity, #HappytheCat? http://t.co/pOk9lJLCvZ http://t.co/2JpO1imqPl http://t.co/RdEPw4t59C
They live on a two-acre horse ranch and have other friends, including dogs, cats, a horse, a goat, and a chicken.