It's a dog-meet-dog world

From across the lawn, the people milling at Bellevue's Downtown Park looked like they were herding rabbits. But a closer view revealed a sea of Chihuahuas at their feet. Dozens of tiny Taco Bell spokesdogs sniffed, tumbled, barked and shivered in what we must assume was the pleasure of one another's company.

"The nature of Chihuahuas is they generally like their own type," says Tammy Jansen, a 34-year-old medical aesthetician. Jansen launched this group as a social outlet for her three miniature pups — Indy, Winnie and Coco.

With to-go cups of coffee and treats in hand, the owners made small talk, intervening when the teacups of fur erupted in sharp barks or the more adventurous wandered out of the circle on spindly legs.

While formal and informal playgroups have been a staple of living with a dog in the city, such one-breed meet-ups are a recent phenomenon, and part of a modern dog's rapidly expanding e-life. Today, our canine companions have their own Web pages and e-mail buddies, online personals, virtual packs and playgroups.

These Chihuahua devotees meet monthly thanks to Jansen and Meetup.com, a 4-year-old Web site that connects people with shared interests.

Many of the regulars admit they don't know each other by name, but it doesn't matter. They speak the shared language of Chihuahua — finding common ground in the dogs' protective and somewhat possessive temperament, high-octane energy, maligned yippiness and affectionate disposition.

"It's a really positive environment," said Ann Auerbach, a Montessori teacher from Kirkland, who, along with her 12-year-old daughter, Sophie, and two Chihuahuas, has attended several times.

Calling all Iggies

Wendy Hughes-Jelen, a 35-year-old housing consultant in West Seattle, struggled to find play opportunities for her rescued Italian greyhound, Sophia.

"The local [Italian greyhound] community was very loosely organized through word of mouth and e-mail. I don't know how they did it," says Hughes-Jelen. "I couldn't ever get plugged in with the right person."

So in April, the self-described natural organizer launched her own meet-up group, which now counts 71 members from as far away as Lake Stevens and Olympia. They gather the last Saturday of the month at Great Dog in Northgate and for monthly picnics in members' backyards during the summer.

Like Chihuahuas, Italian greyhounds are small; a little high-strung; and don't always fare well at off-leash parks with large dogs, open spaces and inattentive owners. The special needs of smaller breeds are probably why most Seattle-area canine meet-ups cater to small and midsized purebreds.

Hughes-Jelen, who is writing a guide to throwing the perfect play date, says Iggies (as Italian greyhounds are known) have issues unfamiliar to owners of bigger, furrier dogs, such as the need for custom wardrobes and litter-box training.

A Spot for loners

Some dogs don't do well in groups at all. So dog trainer and behavior consultant Grisha Stewart created Seattle Dog Play Classifieds, an online directory that allows people to set up one-on-one play-dates.

"It's like the difference between going clubbing and meeting a new best friend," says Stewart. "Some dogs aren't meant to go to parties."

For example, Stewart's dog, Sagan, an American Staffordshire terrier-boxer mix, "is definitely not dog-park material," says Stewart, who owns Ahimsa Dog Training in Ballard. "She's the kind of dog that makes best friends, rather than cruising the mall and hanging out at parties. She tolerates anything her friends dish out and loves them once they're in her pack, but she doesn't make friends easily."

Four-legged forums

While some dog owners look to the Internet to arrange play dates, others find advice, commiseration and solace in the growing number of online pet forums. Some are organized around a breed, such as igpost.com and Iggy Planet for Italian Greyhounds. Tinytracks.net is a Web site for owners of teacup, toy, miniature and little show dogs. PetFinder.com, a national searchable database of animals that need homes, provides discussion forums and opportunities for setting up play dates. In addition, Yahoo and craigslist host pet forums.

Still, the big dog online has to be Dogster, a MySpace-Friendster hybrid launched in early 2004. On the site, people create profiles for their pups, post photos, keep diaries, network, participate in forums and join groups such as King County Boxer Lovers, Seattle Beagle Bunch and Alki Beach Dogs. Along with its sister site, Catster, more than 265,000 pets from around the world have online profiles.

Pooch profiles

Shaila Austria of Shoreline created a profile for her black lab, Max, after reading an article about Dogster. "My parents — his grandparents, as they consider themselves — thought it was cute and funny. They check his page frequently and give him bones," says Austria, a 28-year-old administrative manager.

On Dogster, Max has 11 pup pals (that he'll probably never meet), belongs to 10 groups (there are thousands) and with Austria's help keeps a diary.

"It's been a supportive place for me after losing three childhood dogs last year," Austria says. "I've shed many a tear after reading a posting about someone else's dog passing to the Rainbow Bridge."

With photos of poodles on motorcycles and Bassett hounds dressed like farmers, the site also provides comic relief. Take the Naughty Pup Club. This 227-member, invitation-only group was established last year for hole diggers, food thieves and laundry pillagers extraordinaire. With a broken-bone logo and the motto "I didn't do it," members swap bad-boy stories and share photos of dog destruction — pillow-foam sprayed across floors, a decimated remote-control and thrashed plants.

"I joke with people about it being a place to waste even more time than I already do online," says Jina Joy Felton, whose leggy German shepherd mix, Calibur, has a profile on Dogster. "But ... who can resist the endless jokes about 'p-mail' and typing without opposable thumbs?"

A 24-year-old nanny in North Seattle, Felton spends about two to three hours a week on Dogster, though she admits it's never translated into new playmates for her or Calibur.

That's a disappointment for meet-up organizer Hughes-Jelen. "There's a huge difference between an online forum where you never meet these people ever and an online tool to create an in-real-life experience."

Of course, the ultimate in translating an Internet opportunity into a real-life connection is probably through pet-centered online dating. At sites like loveunleashed.com and animalpeople.com, men and women seek out fellow pet-lovers for a lifetime of play-dates.

Take Fizzgig, for example. According to his Love Unleashed profile, the 3-year-old Pekingese is seeking "friends to go on walks with and someone special for mommy." It's a noble aim but could lead to problems, since Fizzgig's pet peeve is "anyone honing in on my personal time with my mommy!"

Lisa Wogan is a frequent contributor to The Seattle Times: vietato@msn.com.