NY vet dogs Mariah Carey over bills for pets` care

New York: Mariah Carey is in the doghouse with a veterinarian who says the pop superstar hasn`t paid nearly USD 30,000 in bills for three of her prized pooches. Veterinarian Cindy Bressler sued Carey on Wednesday in a Manhattan state court.

Bressler provided "extraordinary services" for the Jack Russell terriers — Cha-Cha, Dolomite and JJ — but the Grammy Award-winning singer paid only about USD 8,200 of the roughly USD 37,800 in charges, the lawsuit says. The bills cover a little more than a month of care. Bressler`s lawyer, Michael C. Posner, declined to elaborate on the dogs` treatment. Bressler, whose website notes that she makes house calls in New York City and the Hamptons and caters to "prominent New Yorkers and celebrity clients," didn`t immediately respond to an e-mail message seeking comment. Carey`s spokeswoman didn`t immediately respond to telephone and e-mail messages. The pop diva has made her dogs something of characters in her multiplatinum-selling career, including in some comic video sketches made as part of an MTV.com promotion and posted on YouTube. In one, she and JJ compare the fit of their jeans: "I told you those `fat-free` dog treats weren`t fat-free," she scolds. She also regularly chronicles her dogs` doings on her Twitter feed, from Cha-Cha urinating on her dressing room floor and jumping on her last September to Dolomite stealing her underwear out of a suitcase while she was vacationing in March. Known for R&B-inflected singles such as "Vision of Love" and "Hero," Carey, 40, has sold more than 50 million albums during her 20-year career. Her 18 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart put her ahead of every other artist except the Beatles. Her "The Emancipation of Mimi" was the best-selling album of 2005, selling 5 million copies. Her most recent album, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," was released last year. She also has appeared in movies, earning praise for her role in last year`s "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire." She is married to actor and producer Nick Cannon, and they recently welcomed a new addition to their household: a puppy named Jackie Lambchops, born to Cha-Cha this month, according to Carey`s Twitter feed. Bureau Report