When people think of actress Katherine Heigl, they often think of her work in films or TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy (2005 to 2010), 27 Dresses (2008), Suits (2018 to 2019) and Firefly Lane (2021 to 2023), but it turns out she has another passion: caring for animals.
Not only has Heigl created the dog food brand Badlands Ranch, but she has also founded the nonprofit Jason Debus Heigl Foundation with her mother. Now, the mom of three is ready to talk about why she launched those endeavors and why they mean so much to her at this time of year. Keep scrolling for more.
First for Women: As we enter the holiday season, how do you keep happy and healthy?
Katherine Heigl: I try to stick to the daily rituals I have in place, but you also have to embrace the fact that this month will be more indulgent than most. If I don’t treat every day as a time to indulge, then we’re okay, and we can just stick to our routines.
FFW: What are your favorite—and least favorite—recipes to make during the holidays?
KH: It’s funny because obviously everybody just celebrated Thanksgiving, and we usually celebrate with a couple of friends that we love up here in Utah. And we all agreed to ditch the turkey. I am not a turkey fan. I don’t like turkey. I find it kind of boring and dry, and it’s really hard to get right. So, this year, our friends made prime rib and it was just incredible. I hope we can make that sort of a new tradition, but I bet you no one will go for it next year.
We also do Christmas brunch. We typically do this sort of egg and bread casserole that you can assemble the night before, and then you just bake it in the morning while everybody’s opening gifts. My sister and my mom both will make these incredible orange rolls. Then we typically do a really simple Christmas Day dinner because, by that point, we’re over all the rich food and all the heaviness, so we do a chili that people can just sort of stir and eat whenever they feel like it.
FFW: Another key part of your family is your four-legged friends. What sorts of treats do you give them during the holiday season?
KH: I am not a table scrap kind of gal, but [my husband] Josh [Kelley] is. So he’ll give the dog a little bite of whatever meat we’re eating, but then he gets mad when they sit at the table begging. And I will be, like, “Josh, you do know the definition of insanity, right? You are creating this problem by just doing the same thing over and over.” So they’ll get their little, little table scraps from him. I don’t typically do that, and I don’t because I don’t like it, and I don’t think it’s great for their digestion.
The only treats that I typically give them are knuckle bones for the big dogs, and then collagen sticks for the little dogs to keep them busy, entertained and happy while we’re eating endlessly.
FFW: With six dogs, how do you find the time to love and care for each of them individually?
KH: Right now I’m sitting in what I call my keeping room, and I’ve got five of them in here with me. They just want to be where I am, you know. And I want them to be where I am. Their peace and contentment bring me such peace and contentment.
The three little ones sleep in bed with us. I don’t think that’s Josh’s favorite thing, but you know how there are some non-negotiables in marriage? I want them in bed with me. They bring me so much solace. They get lots of attention from me, and the only time they don’t is if I’m working. I’ve had a couple of years off from being on set, and I’ve been able to really indulge my dogs.
FFW: The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation is centered on addressing the pet population crisis and helping to end animal suffering. How important is that cause to you, and what led you to create it?
KH: It really began with my mother. We’ve always been animal people. I grew up with at least two dogs, cats and birds; my brothers had rats at one point. We’re animal people, but we had no idea that this country has such a problem with pet overpopulation. Then, one day in 2006, my mother was leaving a nail salon and saw a poster on the wall saying that a rescue needed help. She wrote them a check but forgot to sign it, so the woman who ran the rescue was at her door the next day, saying they were desperate for any help, money and contributions, and they formed a relationship. Then, by 2008, we thought, “You know what? Let’s start our own foundation and implement some of these programs that we really feel will make an impact and a difference.”
We do a nationwide spay and neuter event where our foundation funds the spays and neuters. People just have to show up and bring their pets. We pay for all of it, and that, in my opinion, is really going to be the most impactful program.
We do a lot of what my mother calls the Save a Life program, where we pull a lot of older or sick dogs or dogs needing medical care or more specialized training and typically have 48 or 72 hours left to live. We pull them and transport them to an incredible training facility in Las Vegas that does incredible work.
This whole thing started out as a real passion for making a difference, and now I feel it’s like a life calling. This will be the thing that I spend the rest of my life dedicated to and trying to make a real, impactful difference.
FFW: Now, tell us about Badlands Ranch dog food.
KH: The beauty of the food is that we sort of approach it from a place of preventative healthcare, where you’re feeding your animals such high quality, healing food that the goal is to keep them out of the vet’s office and keep them from getting sick.
I’m very passionate about supplements, supplemental health and plant medicine. We were able to incorporate a lot of that into the food, which I believe in, and the ingredients’ quality is important. It feels obvious, and yet so many brands are not maintaining the quality of the product.
It’s been such a blessing because it has helped my mother and I continue to fund the foundation and these programs we believe in.
FFW: What are you most excited to do with your family and dogs this holiday season?
KH: This year is kind of an odd year for us. This is the first time in my entire life that I am going on vacation for Christmas. We have always spent Christmas at home. We have always done the whole shebang; I’m a super Christmas person. I have two storage units full of Christmas decorations. And this year, I’m not doing any of it. We’re going to Hawaii. And it feels bizarre to me.
My brother died unexpectedly in July, and by August, no one wanted to do the traditional Christmas. It just felt too emotional. So we decided just to bag the whole thing and go to Hawaii. And I think now, come December, we’re all feeling a little like, “Oh gosh. We kind of miss the tree and the traditions.”
