Harvey Houck is a nearly 2-year-old golden retriever living in Grapevine. Like many dogs, he enjoys playing fetch and making his way around town with his owners, visiting parks, city landmarks and dog-friendly restaurants.
But one notable thing about this pup’s charmed life: He’s got almost 21,000 followers on Instagram.
Harvey’s owners, Lindsey and Kurt Houck, both grew up with golden retrievers as pets. The couple, who are from the San Antonio and Philadelphia areas, respectively, have been living in Grapevine since 2017.
Lindsey Houck said they always wanted to add a dog to their family, and decided to do so on the one-year anniversary of their marriage. They brought Harvey home in April 2019 and started sharing pictures of him online.
“He’s basically our child,” she said, noting that they started to post pictures of him on his own Instagram so family could keep up with them and the puppy even though they lived in other cities.
Harvey’s escapades around Grapevine, D-FW and other parts of the country have found a growing audience of 21,000 followers and counting. Houck said brands have reached out to work with the family, promoting pet-related products and more.
In a promotion for a brand they partnered with, Lindsey posed Harvey next to a train at the Grapevine Vintage Railroad and dressed him like literary character Harry Potter, tagging the photo “Platform 9 3/4”.
Harvey’s fame on Instagram has also provided opportunities for the Houcks to get to know other “dogstagram” people, as she calls them. They’ve even met up with those people around the U.S. at dog parks and outdoor breweries.
Houck said she and her husband weren’t going out much at the beginning of the pandemic. Now, they are focusing on visiting outdoor-only locations with Harvey.
“Sometimes we decide where we want to go based on if it’s dog-friendly or not,” Houck said.
In Grapevine, some of their favorite places to visit are downtown, the Messina Hof winery, Grapevine Lake, the Grapevine Botanical Gardens and the Bark Park at Bear Creek Park. They also frequent Hop & Sting Brewery in Grapevine, which has outdoor seating and food trucks.
When they venture further afield to Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, there’s even a dog-friendly menu where Harvey gets his own portion of chicken and rice.
But Harvey’s life isn’t all dining out and internet glamor. Harvey is currently training to be a therapy dog, Houck said, so he can visit nursing homes and hospitals. She said Harvey has a calm temperament that “makes us look good."
You can find Harvey on Instagram under the handle @harveysgoldengrams.
