Guy Fieri Cruising With His Dog Is The Coolest Thing You'll See All Day

All anyone can really hope for in this crazy world is to maybe — just once, during their time on planet Earth — achieve a Guy-Fieri-driving-with-his-dog level of happiness. Even just for a moment. To have that sheer, unadulterated ecstasy, the easy feeling of pure freedom. Nothing on the horizon but the open road, and nothing on your lap but a drooling French Bulldog. This is to have truly experienced joy.

Of course, a cursory glance at Fieri's recent Instagram post might not scream "joy" to you. Fieri's trademark shades are too dark to catch a glimpse of the happiness that no doubt dances in his eyes; his lips are pursed as he concentrates on both the road and the canine draped across his arms. His dog, Cash, a French bulldog that the Fieri family adopted last year, is — and there's just no other way to say this — a grumpy-looking dog. If golden retrievers are the Leslie Knopes of the dog world, Cash is more like Robert DeNiro, if DeNiro has just been served a plate of expired mackerel. The hanging jowls, the turned-down mouth... Cash might be jumping for joy on the inside, but his outsides suggest that he has seen what the world has to offer and is not impressed. In short, Fieri and his dog, cruising with the top down and formidable expressions on their faces, look downright cool.

Birthday wishes and bulldog dreams

If you build a career off of being on the road, like Guy Fieri did with "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," you had better be prepared for a few extra loved ones to come along. As People notes, Fieri's son, Hunter — his usual sidekick — has ventured out on his own to pursue documentary filmmaking, so Fieri has had an open seat in the car lately; one that new pup Cash seems happy (or, at least, amenable) to fill. "He is adorable," one user commented on Fieri's Instagram post, and while it is unclear whether they were referring to Fieri or Cash, plenty of other commenters were quick to point out that there was something extra special about this puppy pleasure cruise: "atta boy," writes Sammy Hagar, a musician and friend of Fieri's. "That's the way to spend your birthday."

It's true; according to Fox News, Guy Fieri (who, fun fact, was actually born Guy Ferry) turned 54 yesterday, and one can only assume that pal-ing around with his new pooch was part of the celebration. Birthday wishes in the comments section abound; Hagar even posted a trio of photos on his own Instagram in honor of Fieri's big day. And while Cash looks nonplussed, the Mayor of Flavortown's caption, "Cruisin' with Cash man!" says it all: these two couldn't be happier about another trip around the sun.