'Dancing With the Stars' Pro Alan Bersten Says His Castmates Are Like 'Family' After Emma Slater Kiss: 'I Feel Lucky'

Alan Bersten is happiest when he's dancing or with his dog, Jeff.

The Dancing With the Stars professional exclusively speaks to OK! about how his puppy has already become a key companion of the hit dancing competition series while reflecting on his recent headline-making tour after going viral last month for kissing his costar Emma Slater while on stage in Chicago.

Gushing over his 11-month old dog, whom he named after Channing Tatum's viral "my name is Jeff" line in 21 Jump Street, Bersten admits how "much joy" his pet brought the entire DWTS family during tour throughout the past four months while shedding light on his partnership with Cesar Dog Food for the brand's new microwavable Cesar Warm Bowls.

Bersten — who has yet to officially confirm his potential romance with Slater — references his costars Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov as he noted how the couple's daughter, Nikita, who turns 2 later this month, have become "best friends."

"It's such a family," he declares. "We're all lucky to do what we love. It feels lucky to wake up every morning and do what we love."

Shouting out his Season 33 dance partner, Ilona Maher, Bersten says he and the rugby star will be "friends forever."

He details: "It was just such a special partnership. I think when you are paired with somebody, you either love or hate them and I've been very lucky with my partners. Ilona is somebody that is just so cool and so special that, even though the season's over, we're still hanging out, we still get coffee, we catch up all the time. We talk all the time."

"I think every season is different, but it truly is a family. You're not just friends with your celebrity. We're also friends with everyone else," Bersten adds, revealing how Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik "became such a good friend because he was on tour."

"When I tell you I treat him like my baby, he's my baby," the star shares, emphasizing how important it is to give Jeff the best care — and diet — while the duo keeps up with Bersten's busy schedule.

"I just wanted to make sure I was feeding him good quality food. I did a lot of research and the fact that there's real chicken and real vegetables, it makes me feel safer about giving it to him," Bersten mentions of Cesar's new Warm Bowls, as he and Jeff work with the brand as part of their "CESAR Spin" campaign — which allows pet parents to enter the #CESARSpinSweepstakes for a chance to win gift cards, free merchandise or even a one-year supply of CESAR WARM BOWLS products.