'Law & Order: SVU' Star Richard Belzer's Dog Will Help Him Live Longer

It goes without saying that actor Richard Belzer loves his 4-year-old poodle-fox terrier mix, Bebe. Celebrities don’t often bring their pets onto the red carpet, but Belzer and Bebe frequently walk the party lines together.

They also hang out with each other on the set of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and while Belzer gets serious while playing the role of Sgt. John Munich, the creamy-coated pooch makes the rest of the cast and crew – well, a little soft.

“He has total freedom on the set,” Belzer says in the latest issue of Cesar’s Way Magazine. “We’ll all be working hard, and then he’ll walk by and everyone will be like, ‘Awww, Bebe!’ All these big, tough guys get mushy around him; he can change the moods of 120 people on set.”

Bebe’s effect on the SVU set is akin to the one he had on Belzer after the actor adopted his canine soul mate.

“I have a bit of a temper, and if I get upset, the dog senses it,” he says. “So the dog is actually going to make me live longer. I don’t fly off the handle anywhere near as often as I used to.”

The 66-year-old has had a tough and complicated personal history. So, too, has Bebe, and that brought them together. “I think Bebe and I connected based around the fact that Bebe was abused and abandoned,” Belzer says. “He’s a survivor. Besides all that, we connected based around the fact that he is incredibly cute, has an amazing personality, and is really smart.”

Read more about celebrities and their pets on PEOPLEPets.com:
Patti Hansen Credits Her Dogs with Helping Her Through Cancer
Vanessa Hudgens: My Dog Has a Mind of Her Own