Gabriel Iglesias’ dogs are ready for their close-up

This April afternoon, Gabriel Iglesias speaks to Variety via Zoom, as he’s now on the road with his “Back on Tour” show. But he does not conduct the interview alone. There are two permanent and adorable intruders who keep on showing up: his pet Chihuahua and Vinnie and Risa. And as all dogs should be, they are the center of attention. Even as Vinnie exits the screen, his snoring can be heard moments later. And while Iglesias holds her, Risa can’t stop gently licking his arm with her wayward tongue.

“They’re with me for about 22 hours of the day,” Iglesias says. “They are spoiled not just because of their lifestyle but because of the attention. They are never left alone, they always have someone around them.”

On the rare occasion Iglesias can’t take them somewhere and has to go out for a bit – say an appointment with a dentist – saying he comes home with disoriented faces. “They’re like, Dad! Dad! We thought you wouldn’t come back!”

Iglesias says his love for the breed goes back to his childhood and his first Chihuahua, Dino, a gift from his sister. Since then, he has had Chihuahuas all his life. With Iglesias, the dogs have moved to more than 35 states. Risa is the princess running the show and at 3 pounds, she doesn’t hesitate to tackle her 12 pound brother.

Vinnie, the brown-and-white puppy, is the smallest – Iglesias has lived for nearly 10 years – and the cutest. “He’s always happy,” says Iglesias. “I wish I was this happy all the time.”

Risa, the salt-and-pepper dog whose tongue always hangs at an angle outside her mouth, has been with Iglesias for 17 years and is… less than expressive. “This one is not so affectionate as licking your face or your kisses and the like,” Iglesias notes. However, she had been quietly licking his arm for at least 10 consecutive minutes. “That’s how she lets you know she’s okay with you.”

Iglesias asks a friend to show Risa’s reluctance by trying to touch her head – the dog immediately retreats. Then he raises her to his face and kisses her, which she tolerates. “Look, if anyone else did this, he would lose his nose. The fact that I can do it—the fact that she doesn’t kill me—tells me that she loves me.”

Both dogs happened to sport Dodger tags in support of her father’s sold-out shows on the baseball field. “They promote,” Iglesias says. “I put them to work.”

The two will soon be appearing in their feature film debut for the first time — sort of. Director Jorge Gutiérrez says the underdog protagonist of the upcoming animated movie “I, Chihuahua” is based on the dogs of Iglesias. Meanwhile, the two enjoy a healthy social media stardom for Iglesias, where he regularly posts pictures of his canine companions.



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