By LILY KOPPEL, New York Times News Service

NEW YORK — In a city where things are often taken to extremes, an eclectic mix of New Yorkers gathered recently for the annual editorial meeting of New York Tails, one of several publications dedicated to city dwellers who often enjoy a special and pampered status — pets.

“I got my ear to the ground,” said Diane West, the magazine's founder and publisher, who is also a freelance medical writer. She described how “a small ragtag bunch of pet-loving New Yorkers had a dream, reached out to the best pet writers in their respective fields, and put together an all-volunteer local magazine.” West, who shares her home with two cats and “a very impish chinchilla,” started the magazine after walking around the city one day in 2001, observing people with their pets. After doing research, West saw a need for a publication that covered a broad spectrum of the urban pet kingdom and their owners. “This is about pets, regardless of income,” said West, who also has a radio show about pets. New York Tails is available free at pet shops and veterinarians' offices.

Another contributor to the magazine is Carole Wilbourn, a cat therapist known as the Kitty Freud, who writes the Cat Chat column. There is even a gossip page, Tails About Town, which is put together by Beth Joy Knutsen and her dog, Bella Starlet, whom she calls a diva and who accompanies her on red carpet events. An image of the pooch is tattooed on Knutsen's ankle.

The issue of what dog will occupy the White House once the Obama family takes up residence has been a hot topic among the magazine's contributors. West's staff, like many other pet owners and animal-rescue groups, would like to see a dog from an animal shelter live in the White House. Whatever canine makes it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., it will be the big story in the next issue of New York Tails.