Pitcher Andrew Heaney (nickname: “Heandog”) traveled constantly during a climb up the minor-league ladder, playing for teams in Greensboro, North Carolina; Jacksonville and Jupiter, Florida; Glendale, Arizona; and New Orleans, Louisiana. Even once he reached the big leagues, the road trips didn’t stop. But there was one constant in his home: his rescue black Lab, Sadie. While Heaney hopped from city to city, Sadie stayed with his wife, Jordan.
“She was like my wife’s best friend,” Heaney says of the dog he and Jordan got when they were still in college at Oklahoma State. “We had her through all the different times in our lives.”
Rangers Photography – Bailey Orr
“She understood English,” Heaney remembers of Sadie. “You could talk to her. All the times that I was going on the road and would be gone for weeks, Sadie would be there with Jordan, keeping her company… I’m forever grateful to her for that.”
In 2014, Heaney reached the major leagues, where he’s played for the Marlins, Angels, Yankees, Dodgers, and, now, the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers. His family has grown—first with the addition of another rescue dog, Charlie, and then with twin girls.
Sadly, after seeing her people through so many changes, Sadie passed away earlier this year. But her role in Heaney’s life showed him dogs’ potential to give comfort and companionship to others.
When Heaney visited the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in 2016 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, he saw the positive impact volunteers with therapy dogs had on the children there. “It was people who had gotten their personal pets approved” as therapy dogs, Heaney says of the program at that time. The children loved it, but “there’s only so much you can ask” of volunteers.
Knowing the comfort dogs had provided in his own life, Heaney set out to help the hospital get a full-time facility dog. He talked to staff at the University of Oklahoma in his home state to learn more about their facility-dog program, and raised funds for a full-time CHOC program through the Pup Cup, a 5K people could run with their dogs. In September of 2021, his efforts—along with those of many others—brought Labrador–golden retriever mix Lois, a resident facility dog handled by child life specialist Chloe Kirkac, to the hospital. When she’s not on the clock, Lois lives with Kirkac. “There isn’t anything much better than seeing a child connect with Lois,” Kirkac says, “while also reaching a new clinical milestone, finding comfort and peace, or even just smiling after a tough day.”
Heaney has been back to visit Lois and talk to the staff since she started on the job, and has been gratified to hear of her impact. “They say she’s making all the kids feel great,” he says. “Everybody loves her, and it brings up the mood. And they talk a lot about how it’s actually great for the staff too. It’s a tough place sometimes—obviously for all the patients, but it’s also tough for the staff. So having her there to brighten everybody’s day is really exciting for me, because I know what my dogs have meant to me.”
Heaney’s life has changed substantially over the past several years, but dogs are still a big part of it. Charlie—whose mother was a golden retriever found pregnant on the side of a road—joined the family while Sadie was still with them, and brings his own personality to the Heaneys’ home. While Sadie was “focused and intense,” Heaney says, Charlie has a “goofier” energy. Relations between Charlie and the twins have been good, partly because he’s discovered that they’re a source of treats. “When they’re in their high chairs and drop their food, he gets all the scraps,” Heaney explains, “so they have a very symbiotic relationship.”
Heaney is elated anytime there’s a dog at the ballpark—more still if there are multiple dogs. Sadie and Charlie were both part of the Texas Rangers’ pet calendar over the past two seasons, and the photo shoot for that project is one of Heaney’s favorite days at work. “Everybody’s in and out, bringing their dogs into the clubhouse and onto the field,” he says of his dog-loving teammates, including previous Digest interviewee Jon Gray. “It’s always fun to get a glimpse of other guys’ lives.”
Dogs can also provide a boost at road games. Heaney is especially fond of Reba, the “head groundsdog” at Oakland Coliseum. “Every once in a while she comes into the visiting clubhouse,” he says. “Everyone knows her—everyone gets to pet her. Everyone sneaks her a little bit of food here and there, and gets to hang out. And that’s not even our dog—we’re the visiting team. It cheers everybody up.”
And when Heaney gets home, whether he’s had a good game or a bad one, Charlie is always there for him. “As much as the dog does for kids and people who work at the hospital, it can be the same at home,” he says. “Your dog is always happy to see you. If you have a bad day at the field, they don’t know. They want some pets and cuddles, and to play fetch. They’re just there and happy to be with you.”
