Entrepreneur Will Go Shopping for Man’s Best Friend

Young urban professionals in search of just the right dog are bypassing the traditional trip to the pound and hiring a new breed of consultant to advise them on which puppy best suits their life styles.

Gil Escontrias, founder of Canine Corps, says the really discerning are willing to look further than that doggy in the pet store window to find--and pay for--the correct complement to their personality and status.

Escontrias, 29, is a Los Angeles police officer and a former military dog trainer who operates the consulting business during his off hours. He charges $25 to meet with prospective dog owners and recommend the dog that fits their expectations.

“What I do is try and match the person, their personality, their life style and, at some point, their financial situation,” he said. “For example, if you live in a condominium and you have a Labrador, the dog may need a lot of exercise and may end up tearing up your furniture, not because the dog enjoys destroying, just because the dog needs exercise.”

Before shaking out his advice, Escontrias considers how much time the owner wants to devote to the dog and whether the pet is expected to serve as a companion or protector.

“I ask some very basic questions: ‘What’s your idea of the ideal dog?’ ‘What do you want the dog to do?’ and I build some type of profile,” Escontrias said.

“I don’t tell them exactly what to get. I give them options, try to narrow the field down.”

One of Escontrias’ satisfied customers--lucky for him--is his boss, Lt. George Reming, who thought that he needed some advice before buying a dog for his wife.

“I don’t know anything about dogs,” Reming said. “I had dogs before, but they were always very rowdy--untrained or untrainable. One of them I had to give away. He tore down fences and chased the mailman.”

Reming said he wanted to get a dog that his “very petite, very fragile” wife--who had never owned a dog--could handle. “She always wanted a big, furry animal, and I could just see a big furry dog knocking her down and just chewing her up.”

Escontrias recommended a German shepherd or a malamute. Reming chose a shepherd, which is now 4 months old.

“The dog is great,” he said. “I have never been able to select an appropriate dog in the past.”

Many people choose dogs for reasons that are anything but logical, and interest generated by movie star dogs or unusual breeds can make some types trendy, Escontrias said.

“Sometimes the more unusual a dog, the catchier it can be,” he said. “The Shar-Peis are now the trendy dogs because approximately five years ago, there were only 500 in existence and you didn’t see them a lot, so people suddenly said, ‘If it’s rare and expensive, it must be something for me.’ ”

Other people try to choose dogs that reflect their image of themselves.

“I think dogs to some people are extensions of them and so they may have a tendency to pick a certain dog--for exam

ple, a Rottweiler for a macho kind of guy, a Pekingese for some women, Labradors for easygoing, laid-back type people,” he said.

But isn’t a person equipped to choose a dog without hiring the services of a consultant?

No, according to Escontrias. Or, at least not necessarily.

“Some people don’t understand the responsibility that goes with owning an animal. They see a dog, see the trendiness of it. They like the way it looks, but don’t know anything about its personality or breeding.”

Escontrias charges at least $150 to search out the perfect dog, which can take several weeks. The dog itself is likely to range in cost from $100 to $1,000.