Animal Magnetism

When some types of dogs get together with some types of people, they seem to complete a grand design. It is more than just that the dogs and owners look alike.

“The dogs people choose represent certain tastes,” says John Winters, a veterinarian for the Beverly Hills Kennel Club.

A few examples come to mind: brooding Paris designer Yves Saint Laurent and his pouty pugs, sporty-suave New York designer Bill Blass and his golden retrievers, Los Angeles artist David Hockney, a British transplant, and his Jack Russell terrier.

Elaine Kim, co-owner of Ecru, a Melrose Avenue clothing shop, resembles her miniature pinscher, Otto. Both have sleek, dark hair and rangy figures. And both are high-energy types.

Socialite Nancy Vreeland has the same dainty proportions and light, feathery hair as her two Maltese pooches. And film director Bobby Houston’s elongated features, not to mention his Dalmatian-print T-shirt, resemble his pet.

These dogs do more than reflect their owners’ images. They complete their looks better than any hat or handbag ever could.

Jo Wilder, owner of Wilder Place, a Melrose Avenue shop that sells accessories and housewares, shares physical and personality traits with her pet Pekingese, Mousch. Both are petite and perky. And both scurry around the shop as if they know the stock inside out.

Michael Roberts, the gregarious chef and owner of Trumps, an L.A. restaurant, lives with a pair of personable Welsh corgis, Marcel and Otto.

“When I saw the Queen of England with these dogs, I fell in love with them, but I never knew how much fun they could be,” he says.

Of course, selecting a dog based on looks alone can be as foolhardy as selecting a lover that way. Lynette Hart, a UC Davis animal behaviorist and co-writer, with her husband, Benjamin L. Hart, of “The Perfect Puppy,” says other factors are more important.

“Everyone has a certain lifestyle that they’re asking their dog to fit in with,” she says. “Looks are one thing; it’s behavior that counts.”