A dog's life: Betty (nee Belle) helps 'Will Trent' score with viewers

LOS ANGELES — While Ramon Rodriguez may play the title role in “Will Trent,” he knows there’s a scene stealer nipping at his heels.

Belle, a Chihuahua who plays Will’s dog Betty, has a wardrobe of sweaters and, in the second season, gets a canine costar.

“Betty really represents something that Will has always longed for,” Rodriguez says. “It’s a connection, some sort of sense of family. It’s very unexpected for him and whenever we see him (with Betty), it’s just a beautiful color that he gets to express.”

In the first season, Trent realizes the dog has been abandoned and, even though he’s not keen on pets, can’t leave him. A product of the foster care system, Trent sees the parallels and can lean into another part of his life.

Thus far, there hasn’t been an assignment that Belle hasn’t mastered.

“We’ll put it in the script and the trainers will come back to us and say, ‘Hey, could you modify and maybe do this?’” Executive Producer Daniel Thomsen says. “Belle rehearses before we come in so that (she’s) ready to go. She’s a pro.”

“As long as we can keep flying her in private, I think it’s all good,” Rodriguez says with a smile. “That’s how she rolls.”

Based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling book series, “Will Trent” shows how the man’s past plays into his work as a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Dyslexic, he has specific quirks (and a no-nonsense approach) that enable him to see what others don’t. Relationships – the human kind – are often difficult.

“This season, we get to start peeling back who he is,” Rodriguez says. “What does that mean? How does it impact him? I think we’re all really mindful of not ever portraying any stereotypes that are misconceptions or perpetuating anything that’s not at least relative to the character specifically.”

Repeatedly, Betty helps Trent relate to others and bring out their soft sides as well.

For Angie Polaski, Trent’s on-again, off-again lover, she’s “Angie’s therapist at times,” Rodriguez says.

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“And she didn’t see that coming either,” says Erika Christensen, who plays Angie. “She was like, ‘Get this dog away from me.’ And now, she can’t help it. She’s learning about herself.”

In the second season, Will discovers more about his past, thanks to the information the deputy director shared at the end of the first.

“He’s a guy who is strongly identified with GBI and Atlanta and all the different places that he grew up, for better or worse,” Thomsen says. “What’s interesting is getting that information so late in life, when you already felt like you had a fixed definition of who you were. There are going to be stories this year about him reaching out and trying to meet people from his family and how that’s going to take on different directions.”

At home, Trent will always have Betty for comfort.

“He’s such a softie with this dog versus everyone else,” Rodriguez says. “He can have all his quirks, yet I always found he has a huge, huge heart. Sometimes, I think in just life, you can share and be vulnerable in a way with a stranger than you can with your partner. Betty really represents something that Will has always longed for.”

And what about Belle, who was a rescue dog just like her character… how is she as a co-star?

“We lucked out,” Rodriguez says. “She amazing. She really is.”

“Will Trent” returns for its second season Feb. 20 on ABC.