Will Ferrell Is the Best Tiny Dog Actor of Our Generation

At this point we can all agree that Will Ferrell is a pretty funny guy. But in honor of his birthday, we need to talk about an aspect of this comedy legend’s masterful career that’s been ignored for far too long. Will Ferrell, longtime SNL veteran, Emmy and Golden Globes nominee, Funny or Die co-founder, is incredible when acting opposite a tiny dog.

Ferrell has a long history of sharing scenes with shaking pups. As far as my in depth research showed, the comedian’s first filmed dog encounter happened in December of 1998 when Ferrell and Molly Shannon first premiered “Dog Show” on Saturday Night Live. “Dog Show” was always an odd recurring sketch. Each installment followed Miss Colleen (Shannon) and Mr. David Larry (Ferrell), a married couple who hated people but loved dogs. With any other performers, this aggressively random series may have collapsed under the weight of its many gags. One thing, though, transformed the bit from a one-time sketch into the recurring oddity it became — Ferrell’s Pomeranian and sketch mate, Mr. Bojangles.

The top hat-adorned Mr. Bojangles was an immediately lovable addition when the sketch first premiered. But it was when Mr. Bojangles leaped into Ferrell’s lap that she inadvertently made history. I mean just watch Mr. Bojangles’ constant attempts to make Ferrell hold her and try not to laugh. She completely changed the joke of the sketch from being an exploration of odd characters to testing how long Ferrell could catch a jumping dog without breaking. Since that day some of the comedian’s most memorable roles have included dogs.

“Dog Show” only aired on SNL a couple more times, but one of Ferrell’s most memorable SNL sketches completely revolved around sad canines. In “Dissing Your Dog” Ferrell played a crazy infomercial salesman who’s pushing his tape series on dog training through passive aggressive insults. Ferrell has produced a lot of hysterical moments in his career, but watching him whisper “You’re a f***ing dog” into the ear of a tiny French bulldog has to be one of the funniest. A small dog even made an appearance when Ferrell hosted SNL earlier this year. “Reality Stars” follows Ferrell and Cecily Strong as they try to prove to their normal friends that they haven’t changed since getting their own reality show. All throughout the sketch Ferrell cradles a very relaxed pup. And you know what? Ferrell and his doggy friend are one of the funniest parts of this otherwise lackluster episode. I could watch Ferrell threaten to beat people with lounging miniature doggos all day.

None of this even touches on Ferrell’s illustrious and treat-filled movie career. Two of his most iconic roles — Mugatu in Zoolander and Ron Burgundy in Anchorman and Anchorman 2— are characters who are partially defined by their canine best friends. Mugatu’s overly styled and constantly present poodle became yet another symbol for the fashion industry’s excessive wealth. Meanwhile Anchorman’s Baxter represented the opposite, giving Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy a humanizing anchor. Baxter was such a huge part of Anchorman he was practically the news team’s fifth member. Oh, also, the scene where Baxter is punted into a river by Jack Black is one of Ferrell’s absolute best.

Of course it’s funny to see Will Ferrell with tiny dogs. He’s a very tall man who loves to play intense, screaming, pseudo-masculine characters. A poodle or a pug is always going to compliment that characterization; those are just the rules. But over the years Ferrell has turned the simple act of saying lines while holding a dog into an art form.

Here’s to you, Ferrell. I don’t know if you can telepathically talk to these animals or if your pockets are loaded with dog treats, but it’s working.