Christopher Meloni Shares the Cute Name He Wanted For His Dog — And Why His Family 'Nixed' It (Exclusive)

Ahead of season 5 of 'Law & Order: Organized Crime', the actor teamed up with Temptations cat food for a limited-edition podcast

Though Christopher Meloni certainly plays a tough guy on screen, the actor has a soft side in real life — especially for his family's four-legged friend.

The Law & Order: Organized Crime star, 63, along with his wife Sherman Williams and their two kids, Sophia and Dante, welcomed a rescue border terrier named Scotty into their lives 13 years ago, an addition Meloni says has impacted them for the better.

"I think having an animal in the family that's not my son," he jokes of his younger child. "It's just — you get an interaction with another living thing, being, animal, and it touches this heart from a different place."

In describing his canine companion, Meloni says the dog is "very catlike" and a bit mysterious.

"You never know quite what he's thinking," Meloni tells PEOPLE while speaking about his new partnership with Temptations. "He can kind of take you or leave you, but then he'll come up and show you how much he needs you, but on his time and in his way. [He's] really appreciative when you take him on the walk, obviously, or when you're going to feed him; that's when you're best friends."

And though Meloni's family named the dog Scotty, Meloni says he preferred a different title for their pet.

Related: Christopher Meloni Celebrates Wife Sherman's Birthday with Loving Tributes — and All-Night Dancing at a Rave

"Look, for everyone named Scotty out there, I'm not being disparaging; it's a wonderful name, but I just thought, let's zhuzh it up. I wanted to call him Biscotti," he says, adding that his family wasn't so keen despite his excitement.

"My family, as they often do, nixed me so hard. A lesser man would have crumbled, but I didn't," he jokes.

"That's just the way the cookie crumbles … the biscotti crumbles," he adds with a chuckle. "That's how it rolls in the Meloni family. I always get the short end of the stick."

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Related: The Real-Life Partners of the Cast of Law & Order: SVU

Meloni adds about his pup's personality that Scotty has "a bassist from a 70s hair metal band" appearance.

"I swear he wears black eyeliner," he says, later adding, "I've never caught him putting on makeup, but if I sent you a picture, you'd go, oh my, he's wearing makeup."

While work has already begun on season 5 of Organized Crime — Meloni shares that he is currently writing episode two of the new season — the actor took some time to collaborate with Temptations cat food on their brand-new limited-edition podcast series, "Catch a Cat Burglar: Purry Duty." Meloni said he was intrigued by the idea of using a podcast to get the word out about a product.

"I loved the faux seriousness of the whole piece," he explains. I'm the reliable narrator, keeping the folks on the edge of their seats as the tale of this conniving cat unravels like a ball of yarn."

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