One of TV’s most neurotic senior citizens was not only under a foot tall—he was also a real dog.

Literally.

Spin City was a hit ABC sitcom that ran from 1996 to 2002. Among its memorable characters was Rags, an elderly rescue adopted by the office and portrayed by Wesley, an eight-year-old smooth-coated Brussels Griffon from Fairbanks, Alaska. Living amid the chaos of New York City’s political machine, Rags quickly became a small-screen standout who managed to steal nearly every scene he entered.

Rags made his debut in the 1998 episode “Dead Dog Talking.” In it, Carter Heywood (Michael Boatman) brings home a frail 19-year-old pup whose stubborn spirit becomes both a running gag and a source of heart. The episode was dedicated to “Rags Rudell,” the real-life family dog of one of the show’s writers, underscoring that the character was meant to be more than a sight gag—he was a thread in the show’s emotional fabric.

Behind the camera, Wesley’s welfare was a priority. The Seattle Times reported that makeup was used to age him up and a canine double handled any stunt work, ensuring the little dog’s safety. His owner, Ruth Powell, later described how Wesley traveled for filming—flying to Los Angeles when production moved, then returning home to New York when it wrapped. Off set, he lived with two other dogs and two cats. To prepare for the camera, however, he was trained by Robert DeFranco at the Animal Behavior Center of NY. It was a challenge in that Wesley wasn’t food motivated and mostly liked to be held.

Casting a Brussels Griffon was a bold move. The breed, particularly the smooth-coated Petit Brabançon variety, was little known by the average person, but the breed (known for his intelligence and emotional range) won over hearts. Wesley’s gaze and crooked little grin easily conveyed a multitude of sentiments from exasperation and affection to bafflement. And he never said a word, uh, bark.

Though Rags’ screen time was brief, he served as both comic foil and emotional anchor. You can see him in action below: