PRODUCTS: Pooches Pick Up the Scent

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Can't decide what to get Rover for his birthday? How about a fancy scent? Diana Borba, president of Snooty Scents in Houston, offers perfumed shampoo and coat conditioners that smell like popular people fragrances. Rover can use scents that are billed as similar to those of Giorgio, Obsession, Aramis and Polo. Borba advertises twin-packs of shampoo and conditioner, which retail for $9.95 to $12.95, with such lines as "If you like Obsession, your dog will love Snooty Scents."

Needless to say, fragrance merchants are incensed. Michael Gould, president of Giorgio Beverly Hills, a subsidiary of Avon Products, plans to take "any steps necessary to protect our image." The puppy perfumery defends its products by noting that fragrance oils are not patented. Even so, says Byron Donics, president of Aramis, "we think they are barking up the wrong tree."