A few weeks ago, my dog, a rather anxious and delicate sort, was instantly drawn to a deeply unsavoury-looking shepherd cross with an open wound, tied up outside a dive bar. Toothless men and skinheads mingled on the sidewalk. Charmed as I was by her infatuation, I pulled her away. It wasn't my kind of place.

Dogs are the masters of the thin slice. Dog trainer Dale Stavroff of Roberts Creek, B.C., author of Let the Dog Decide, speaks of "mini-gestures" that pass between dogs so fast, an unpracticed human can only detect them with the aid of slow motion film. By the time the dogs are at what we consider to be an appropriate greeting distance, they've determined everything they need to know.

Crooks use the Web and puppies in scam

PHOENIX (AP) - Ads appearing in Arizona online and print classifieds offer English Bulldog and Yorkshire Terrier puppies and all you do is pay for shipping.The hitch is when contacted by e-mail, the giver says they're on a religious mission in Africa and they need a few hundred dollars to ship the dog.

Local bulldog is Chicago mascot

Meatball arrived here Friday.

Unless greetings at the Avalon Estates home of Dominic and Bernice Marino count for anything.

By Saturday morning Meatball a 3-year-old, rescued, pure-bred, 52-pound English bulldog was basking in the sunshine with his traveling companion Alice Bean and owner/activist Molly Marino.

The trip from the Windy City was grueling, but not near the pace that Meatball has been living since being named winner of Fans Best Friend.

Meatball, who owes his life to Marino, a 1991 Howland High School graduate and marketing director at a Chicago investment research company, was chosen as the official mascot for Comcast SportsNets advertising campaign that hypes live games broadcast for the Chicago sports teams the White Sox, Bulls, Cubs, Bears and Blackhawks.

Best in show: Man’s best friend on display at fairgrounds

Staff photo by Robb Pittard Sue Cannimore from Madison, Miss., an American Kennel Club registered handler, grooms one of two Lhasa Apso purebreds seconds before being called to participate in the Kennel Club of Texarkana Dog Show Saturday afternoon. The event was held at the Four States Fairgrounds Entertainment Complex and will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. .

Animal Corner / The poodle hairdo

It continues until fall. "During the winter I have time to play backgammon," says Muli Perlman, a veteran dog and cat groomer. "At this time most dogs are brought in for shampooing after having played in the mud. Few owners are interested in a winter haircut. Sometimes, owners bring their dogs for a haircut only because they did not brush them and dead fur collected," Perlman reveals. "I tell every customer: 'Keep a brush in your back pocket and brush the dog at every opportunity.' You also have to brush against the direction of hair growth - this technique takes out a lot of dead fur. In addition, brushing is also a nice massage for the dog."

Cats also need frequent brushing. This is especially true of long-haired cats, such as Persians. "If you don't brush them every day, they begin to get dreadlocks," explains veterinarian Dr.