Looks like AS THE WORLD TURNS' Alison has some steep competition from an adorable scene-stealing pooch. Dylan Bruce talks about Chris and Ali's new canine co-star and a love that "must not be named."

Soap Opera Weekly: Tell us about the puppy!
Dylan Bruce: How cute is that dog? It's actually a girl, but we refer to it as a male, Voldemort.

Weekly: Why would a nice old lady like Mrs. Ward name her puppy Voldemort?
Bruce: She must have been a Harry Potter fan! I'm a fan of Harry Potter; I know "He Who Must Not Be Named." So we switched and started calling it "Morty" — I'm trying to say it with my New York accent.

<i>Weekly: What kind of dog is she?
Bruce: She's a little Brussels Griffon, which is the breed of dog that was in As Good as It Gets with Jack Nicholson. They're really smart and cute, and she was just adorable.

Weekly: I loved the "puppy body-slam," the week of September 1. It was possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.
Bruce: That was improv! You guys liked that? I remember doing that. [The-powers-that-be] came up to me afterward, like, "We're keeping that. That was cute." I was like, "Good!" I like puppy body-slamming. I've had a couple of puppies in my day. I like animals a lot.

Weekly: Viewers could tell! Whodathunkit, but Chris and a puppy make a great pair.
Bruce: (Laughs.) "He has so much chemistry with that dog." The puppy is on a few more times, but then it goes away. It's sad! She was so good, too! We didn't have to do that many takes with her. They say it's hardest to work with a child or a dog, and she was more [of a] pro than me. Showing up on time, knowing all her lines...

Weekly: Where did she come from? Is she someone's pet?
Bruce: There's this trainer the show uses a lot. Remember when the ladies went to the woods and there was a bear? This trainer has bears, emus...(laughs). I'm just trying to think of the most obscure animals possible. But she has everything, and she had this little puppy, too. There were 30 people on-set who tried to purchase it from her, but she wouldn't sell her, because she's such a cute little dog.

Weekly: There was some discussion by fans that the only thing cuter than the puppy would be Chris shirtless with the puppy.
Bruce: (Laughs.) That did come up; there was a shirtless scene with the puppy. Chris came out of the shower and he was sad, alone, with his puppy. I knew when the puppy came on that there was going to be a time I'd be shirtless with the dog. What better way to win over fans?

(Agim Kaba walks in.)
Weekly: Maybe Aaron should adopt the puppy next?
Bruce: Aaron hates the puppy. He looks at it and sees Chris.
Agim Kaba: It's Chris, with shorter legs.

Weekly: You could just pass the puppy around from character to character.
Bruce: We would have loved that.
Weekly: Shirtless.
Bruce: Well, I don't know about that (laughs)! What is this, PASSIONS?!