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.

Health Alert: Pet diseases

NATIONAL - More than half of all US households own a pet. And while pets provide companionship and comfort, they can also pass along up to 200 diseases to humans.

Bonnie Beaver, D.V.M., says, "One of the things the veterinarians will check for would be for intestinal parasites.

The sick hipness of dog fighting

The rapper DMX, who appears with a snarling pit bull on the cover of his album "Year of the Dog Again," has sung: "Place your bets/You can imagine what the bloodline is like," and "All my pups is crazy, 'cause off the leash/They can eat, stand a match for three hours at least."

Madison Avenue has been quick to seize on such attitudes to instill a certain street cred in its own advertising. In 2003, the clothing company Nike, which has endorsement deals with numerous top athletes including Vick, released a gritty-looking TV ad dubbed "The Battle" which featured a brief glimpse of a growling pit bull and Rottweiler about to face off. A Nike representative denied that the ad encouraged dog fighting, but explained, "People have to understand the youth culture we cater to. Our market is the urban, edgy, hip-hop culture."

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Kennel owner mauled by dog

Tracy Hon sustained severe injuries and is recovering in Enloe Medical Center's intensive care unit, said Patricia Vaughan, a friend of hers.

Hon's injuries included a badly mauled arm and legs, facial lacerations and a severed trachea, Vaughan said. She had surgery at the hospital.

Hon is active in Boxer Rescue, an organization whose members take care of unwanted boxers and try to find homes for them. Sometimes she rescues pit bulls and other dogs.

Vaughan said the dog that attacked Hon was a small female bulldog mix. Vaughan, who works with Hon at rescuing dogs, said the two of them had brought the bulldog to the kennel a couple of months ago and were trying to find a home for her.

When they learned the dog had cancer, they arranged for her to have operations. However, the illness turned out to be terminal.

Dangerous dog crackdown

“I think we have the strongest dangerous dog bylaw in the city," councillor Abe Gonshor said last month.$"/>$"/>The bylaw was sparked by recent incidents where a dog named Rosco bit two residents, one this past winter and another last summer. $"/>$"/>A dangerous dog is defined in the bylaw as one that “shows a propensity to attack or injure without provocation," actually attacks a person or animal, has been trained by its owner to attack on command and is a pure or mixed pit bull, Staffordshire bull-terrier, American bull-terrier and American Staffordshire terrier.$"/>$"/>The bylaw requires owners to make sure dogs do not attack people or other animals, are kept inside or in an enclosed outside area and, when off the property, are muzzled.$"/>$"/>Owners who violate the rules must remove the dog from the town and provide proof of this within 10 days of receiving a notice.$"/>$"/>“If the owner fails to comply after receiving the notice [demanding the dog's removal from the town], the public security director may cause the dog to be captured and turned over to the SPCA or euthanized," the bylaw says.