A dog is a man’s best friend… and so is his wife!

On Live with Kelly and Mark on Thursday, Kelly Ripa read that “most people prefer to spend time and destress with their pets over their partners.” The concept certainly resonated with her and Mark Consuelos, who both burst into laughter as they teased that they pass their dog Lena “back and forth” and pet her.

Consuelos shared, “I walk into a room and I go, ‘Hey babe.’ And Kelly goes, ‘Hey.’ I go, ‘I’m talking to Lena.’ You’re baby, she’s babe.”

Ripa cited another similar instance, recalling the other night when she was “putting moisturizer on.”

“And he goes, ‘Come on, you want to go to bed?’ And I was like, ‘All right, let me just finish.’ He’s like, ‘I’m talking to the dog,'” she said of Consuelos. “He gives us the same voice. Like, ‘Come on. You want to go to bed? Come on!'”

Consuelos quipped of Lena, “Works for her.”

The two continued reading the survey results, as Ripa reiterated that the “majority of pet owners prefer to spend time with their fluffy friends to destress rather than their parents.”

“65% of people find the company of their dog or cat or other household pet — I don’t know about other household pets,” she said. “I can’t imagine cuddling up with my iguana, or my goldfish.”

Nonetheless, Ripa said that these people “find them significantly more de-stressing than their partners, family, children, or friends,” while “90% of pet owners say the simple presence of their pet is relaxing.”

“It is so true,” she gushed. “Lena walks into the room and it is just… She takes the stress out of any situation.”

Ripa claimed that Lena seemingly “knows” of this power of hers, as she remembered a time when Consuelos was “yelling” while reading through an audition scene “in the other room” at home.

“And Lena was very alarmed by that, and went and sat outside of the door while the yelling was happening,” she continued. “Because she thought she needed to get in there and de-stress the situation.”

Smitten, Consuelos replied, “Well, I’m glad she did that.”

Ripa asked, “You’re glad that you dressed her out?”

Consuelos clarified, “No, I’m glad that she was waiting for me.”

Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.