Jerry O'Connell on Life with Five Pets: 'I'm Definitely Lowest on the Chain'

Jerry O'Connell shares his bed with three dogs and two cats

Photo: Jesus Aranguren/Startraksphoto

Living with three dogs and two cats, Jerry O’Connell often falls to the bottom of the food chain at the home he shares with wife Rebecca Romijn and 8-year-old twin daughters Charlie and Dolly.

“We have a cat that my wife refers to as her husband, and he may be the top of the food chain,” the actor, 42, tells PEOPLE. “I’m pretty low on the food chain as a lot of the cats and dogs sleep on our bed and I get the least amount of room to all of them. The cats get the most, my wife gets the second most, the dogs get the third and fourth most and I get the fifth most. I’m definitely lowest on the chain!”

And his animal family seems to be continually growing.

“Every time I go out of town, my wife just adopts another animal, be it cat or dog,” says O’Connell. “I do love them all — we’re a family.”

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Being that he’s constantly around pets, it made sense for the self-proclaimed “all-around dog lover” to make an appearance at this year’s AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin.

“Between getting to see some of the most magnificent dogs in the world to learning about new breeds and the amazing things they can do (like agility courses and dock diving), it was truly a unique experience,” he says of being part of the show. “Plus, there is absolutely nothing cuter than seeing 20 German Shepherds walking in unison to go show themselves.”

AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin will premiere on Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel.