8/30/2002 Forward

For One Editor, Single Scene Is a Dog's Life
By MAX GROSS

It's not unusual to find Wendy Diamond in a posh Manhattan restaurant, offering forkfuls of prosciutto to Lucky, her small, white Maltese dog. Diamond totes Lucky just about everywhere in one of her 30-odd "dog bags" — medium-sized shoulder bags in a selection of colors that match any outfit. If Lucky is discovered and Diamond is told that dogs are not allowed, Diamond will not patronize that restaurant again.

"Dogs should be allowed in restaurants," Diamond told the Forward over lunch at the Bricco bistro in midtown Manhattan. "Dogs should be allowed in taxis.... My dog is cleaner than most cats."

Diamond, you might say, is a dog person in the same way that Imelda Marcos is a shoe person. She takes Lucky to a pet psychiatrist (although she respects Lucky's privacy far too much to say why. "Lucky and I have issues," is all she would say). She spends thousands of dollars each year on Lucky for grooming and birthday parties. She takes Lucky on trips abroad. She also owns a cat, Pasha — who is Lucky's best friend.

If that's not enough, Diamond is the founder and editor in chief of Animal Fair, a quarterly magazine for pet fanatics.

"It's a whole cult," Diamond said of her obsession, "especially in New York."

Past covers of Animal Fair feature Charlize Theron and Sarah Michelle Gellar hugging their dogs. The magazine contains photo spreads of dog fashion shows, recipes for pet treats and pet-massage techniques. In the recent Summer issue there's an interview with a "pet psychic" who provides readers with seven ways to communicate with their pets (a rolled-up newspaper is not one of them).

Diamond is a fixture at pet charities and pet parties — yes, there are such things. "They're like our children," Diamond said of the pets.

Diamond is also a minor television celebrity, thanks to reality TV's answer to HBO's "Sex in the City," "Single in the City," which airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. on the Women's Entertainment cable channel. Among the show's 11 single women, Diamond is the one who eschews the traditional ways of meeting men — yearning moon eyes and casual, affected conversation — by using her dog as a prop.

"I don't date anyone Lucky doesn't like," Diamond said. "If you don't have a dog, you're barely in my scene."

In one recent incident, Diamond was ejected from a cat show when she showed up with Lucky.

As a result, the petite, attractive Diamond is constantly bombarded with e-mail propositions from fans who admire her spunk and chutzpah — and her dog.

Diamond, who is in her 20s ("You can't ask me that!" she shouted at the top of her voice when asked her age), has shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. When she meets a reporter from the Forward she is wearing a T-shirt featuring silhouettes of three poodles named "Charlie's Bitches." As she sits down, she eagerly displays photos of Lucky with Tom Jones and Kristen Davis for a photo spread in her next issue of Animal Fair titled "Who Got Lucky Tonight?"

Diamond grew up in an Ohio town near Cleveland where she and her family were the only Jews. Her parents were caterers. "We were definitely comfortable," Diamond said. "In Cleveland we were more than comfortable — but if we came to New York, who knows?"

Diamond has lived in New York for 10 years and has somehow acquired a New York accent. "People say I sound like Fran Drescher," Diamond said.

Before starting Animal Fair, Diamond wrote cookbooks. She is the author of "A Musical Feast," which features recipes from more than 100 famous musicians, and "All-Star Feast Cookbook," which features recipes from sports stars.

Diamond pieced together the seed money for Animal Fair by organizing special animal events, which she still vigorously organizes. She recently hosted a fashion show to which top designers — Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and others — had donated pet clothes. These kinds of events have kept Animal Fair thriving.

Her loyalty to her Jewish identity, and to the Jewish state, runs deep. Diamond, who has never been to Israel — she canceled a trip last year when the violence began to worsen — proudly proclaims that El Al is one of the only airlines to offer pet frequent-flyer miles.