The Following

Credit: Courtesy Kyra Sedgwick

Kevin Bacon: DNA Test Revealed My Street Dogs' Mysterious Pasts

Originally posted 01/23/2013 01:20PM

He plays a former FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer in his new series The Following, but in real life Kevin Bacon has more pressing cases to solve – like the mysterious origins of his beloved dogs Lilly and Rocky.

The actor, 54, was so curious about the breeds of the rescue dogs he shares with his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick, and their two children that he set up his very own doggy DNA lab with a kit he purchased online.

"We did DNA testing, which is fun and something that just became possible," he tells PEOPLE. "What you do is swab the cheek of a mutt and you send it in. What comes back is what breeds are in the animal, which is really cool."