If you've watched "Seinfeld", "Married With Children" or "Beverly Hills 90210," you've likely heard Jamie Glaser's guitar work.

Glaser has also written music for CBS sports and has performed with Manhattan Transfer, Bryan Adams and other stars. And he teaches guitar at American Leadership Academy in Spanish Fork.

But the Saratoga Springs musician is better known these days for his love of chinchillas, a fur-bearing rodent that looks like a cross between a squirrel, a guinea pig and a rabbit. Chinchillas are prized both for their fur and as "boutique pets."

"Suddenly, I was dubbed the 'Doctor Doolittle of chinchillas' on YouTube," Glaser said.

This year, Glaser has released an album of Christmas songs, "Dear Santa," and he's giving $2 from each album sale to the Apple Wood animal rescue group in Denver to help chinchillas. The album features the song "Will You Still Love Me?" about the plight of pets people buy as holiday presents, performed by Nathan Osmond.

Jinna Adamson, founder of Apple Wood, learned of the offer when she saw it posted on a chinchilla Web site.

"He's already been a huge support of the rescue movement," Adamson said. "He is a generous man."

Glaser's connection to Utah began in the 1980s when, as a studio musician, he worked with the Brunson Brothers, a Provo-based brass quartet.

"He's a great guy. He's got a heart of gold," said Gaynor Brunson. "There's nothing like seeing [Glaser] live on stage."

Glaser continued to work with the Brunsons out of Los Angeles until 1980, when the Brunsons suggested Glaser move to Utah. He said it was a fortuitous move, as "Seinfeld" and "Married with Children" were ending their TV runs. Provo and its environs offered a cheaper place to live and steady work with the Brunsons at their studio.

He didn't come alone, though. Glaser was accompanied by Lucky, a three-legged chinchilla he adopted. Brunson said the chinchilla helped Glaser through some rough times.

But Lucky also turned Glaser into an animal activist and a self-taught expert on the crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk.

That turning point came while he was watching a video produced by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on how chinchillas are killed for their fur, which is made into high-fashion jackets that require 300 pelts. The video showed how the animals are electrocuted through their rectums, in order to preserve the fur.

"I watched it with my pet in my arms," Glaser said. "I decided to do something about it."

He made a video with Lucky, singing a version of "Endless Love" as a duet, with a chipmunk-like voice for Lucky. He and Lucky quickly became stars on YouTube and in chinchilla-owner circles. Lucky went on the road with Glaser, sometimes perched on Glaser's guitar when he played, and even spent time in the green room at "The Tonight Show."

When Lucky died in April 2007, there was an outpouring of grief, Glaser said. "It was like when Michael Jackson died."

The Wonder of Chinchillas Web site, which Glaser administered, was renamed Lucky's Wonder of Chinchillas as a memorial.

Glaser owns two chinchillas now, and is getting a third one Friday from Apple Wood. He sees his mission as two-fold. First, he wants people to stop wearing chinchilla coats, sparing the animals from what he considers a horrific death. Second, he wants people to know what they are getting themselves into if they become chinchilla owners.

While chinchillas look cute and cuddly, Glaser said they are not ideal pets for small children. Chinchillas are also most active at dawn and dusk, preferring to spend days in a quiet place. Unlike rats or hamsters, which have short life spans, chinchillas can live 18 to 20 years, requiring a long-time commitment from owners.

Adamson said many people don't understand what they are getting into, resulting in neglected animals and, through indiscriminate breeding, chinchillas born with misaligned teeth that prevent them from eating.

Glaser wants to reach out to what some animal activists would consider an enemy: chinchilla ranchers. Glaser said the ranchers are experts in the care and proper breeding of the animals, and can advise people on the best care for the animals.

dmeyers@sltrib.com