Susan Nelson thought he looked different in person.
Of course, movie stars always do. They're a little fatter, a little thinner, a little taller, a little shorter in real life than they are on the big screen.
But that doesn't keep giddy fans from wanting to get close to them.
People lined up Saturday to meet this one-named star perched atop a black table next to a green bowl of water.
Moose, the dog who plays Eddie on the popular TV sitcom "Frasier," made himself available for a couple of hours at the American Veterinary Medical Association convention at the Salt Palace. The affable Jack Russell terrier, looking dapper in a white bow tie, patiently posed for Polaroids with adoring dog lovers, occasionally licking their ears or resting his head on their shoulders.
"I actually felt sort of goofy to have my picture taken with a dog," said Nelson, a Newport, Vt., veterinarian.
Veterinarian Bill Ormsbee, of Little Rock, Ark., didn't feel sheepish at all. The photo of him and Moose will go into his album alongside those of other famous silver-screen pooches Beethoven, Einstein and Lassie.
"We don't get our pictures taken with movie stars, I mean human movie stars," he said.
Ormsbee especially liked Moose's performance in the flick "My Dog Skip," which also featured the 9-year-old dog's son and stunt double Enzo.
Stardom has been good to the brown-and-white pup whose rags-to-riches career began in Florida on a doggy version of "Star Search," Universal Studios' "Animal Actors' Showcase."
His autobiography "My Life As a Dog" came out in March. He has traded arfs with Jay Leno and David Letterman. He appeared on the covers of TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. He has done commercials and print ads. He currently pitches a flea-control product.
"You know what? It hasn't changed him a bit," says Mary Schwartz, a spokeswoman for Bayer, the company that makes the anti-flea solution.
Still, Moose is every bit the demanding superstar. He requires a steady stream of treats (Bil-Jac liver snacks only) to get him through an hourlong paw-tograph session, with which he eventually becomes bored.
"He's wearing makeup right now to maintain that youthful appearance," trainer Tom Gunderson joked.
Gunderson says Moose is pampered but not spoiled. And like his human counterparts, the actor has a tendency to let himself go when he's not working.
"Since he has been on hiatus (from filming 'Frasier'), he has packed on a few pounds. He is not at his fighting weight, so to speak," Gunderson said.
Despite feeling silly about posing with Moose, Nelson, the Vermont veterinarian, did have a burning question for him.
"I was actually going to ask him what happens to Niles and Daphne," she said. "But they moved me through too quickly." (Niles, played by David Hyde Pierce, and Daphne, played by Jane Leeves, left "Frasier" watchers wondering about their relationship in a season-ending cliffhanger.)
So, will Moose's character develop a love interest in the upcoming season?
Says Gunderson, "I can't reveal any secrets."
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