She’ll Pat Your Pet--If It Can Lie Down, Roll Over

Pet owners afraid of rubbing their animals the wrong way can turn to a professional--Nancy Belser, a therapeutic masseuse in Nashville, who has decided to branch out from athletes to animals. She has even given massages to her pet pig. “I don’t know of any animal, including humans, that doesn’t respond to massage,” she said. “A lot of people have dogs that are high-strung. Massage calms them down, makes them more manageable and better pets to have around.” Rubdowns can even make an animal smarter, she asserts. Belser started as a therapeutic masseuse for athletes in North Carolina but hopes eventually to stick strictly to animals.

--After a week of bad weather, pre-Lenten revelers were delighted that it wouldn’t rain on any of the 11 parades Sunday in New Orleans and its suburbs. The celebration is to culminate in Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. “It looks like a great day for Carnival,” said Mary Knolla of New Orleans as she downed a Bloody Mary and ate an omelet for breakfast. “But Mardi Gras (Tuesday) will make this all look like nothing. Mardi Gras is when you see all the good costumes, the parades never end and people on the floats throw lots of stuff.” The highlight of Sunday’s parades was Bacchus, reigned over by William Shatner, who portrayed Capt. James Kirk in “Star Trek” on television and movie screens. “Bacchus is anything you want him to be. And I want him to be wild and woolly and to have a great time,” the actor said. Two parades are set for today and 19 are planned for Tuesday.

--Masters of fiction Stephen King and John Irving read from their works to help a fellow writer facing some very real problems. The pair said they hoped to raise $100,000 for short story writer Andre Dubus, 50, whose one leg was amputated and the other shattered July 23 when he was struck by a car after stopping to help another motorist in trouble. His medical bills have topped $100,000. The reading in Cambridge, Mass., was the third in a series of five for which admission is $200 apiece. “There’s a heroism in Dubus’ characters that has always been very moving to me,” said Irving, whose popular works include “The World According to Garp,” “Hotel New Hampshire” and “Cider House Rules.” King’s best-selling novels include “Pet Sematary” and “Carrie.”