PETS: MAKE YOUR DOG A SWAN

Good dogs go to heaven--and now they can go with tighter tummies, fewer wrinkles and perfect noses. A growing number of board-certified surgeons, like Dr. Alan Schulman of the Animal Medical Clinic of Southern California, use cosmetic procedures to nip and tuck our four-legged friends. Last year 15,000 pets went under the knife at Schulman's clinic alone. "We're doing something to help the animal, not to satisfy the vanity of the owner," he says.

Expensive procedures like face-lifts ($1,000) and genital reshaping ($1,500) can actually prevent infection. The excessive skin folds in chow chows and Shar-Peis, for instance, trap excess saliva that can lead to bacterial buildup. And after a beagle has multiple puppies, her lower half may drag against the ground, forming painful open wounds. The solution? A canine tummy tuck.

In response to the boom in cosmetic surgery, John Duran, mayor of West Hollywood, Calif., has a bone to pick. He has introduced legislation to ban "noncurative" forms of cosmetic pet surgery he deems cruel and unnecessary. The bill targets ear cropping, performed to make the ears of Doberman pinschers and Great Danes stand erect, and tail docking, done on terriers and spaniels. After all, a dog has to be only man's best friend--not the best looking.