``ISN'T THAT NICE?'' : OFFICER WORKERS ANSWER TELEPHONE'S CALL.

One happy dog: The corporate types hurrying to work at Century National Insurance Co. in North Hollywood never paid much attention to Richard Mell and his two dogs.

Mell, a 53-year-old homeless man, lives in a battered van in the company's parking lot off Bellingham Avenue. Every day, Mell and his dogs, Simba and Telephone, would hang out on the strip of grass near the office building.

That all changed when Telephone, a black Labrador/Rottweiler puppy, darted onto Victory Boulevard and was struck by a car. Yelping in pain, the dog scampered several hundred yards and lay down in front of the office building.

When word spread that Mell's dog had been hit, employees collected nearly $700 to pay for the pooch's vet bills.

``If it wasn't for them, I would have been in a world of hurt,'' Mell said.

Marla Vils, a financial systems analyst at Century National Insurance, was the first to offer help. As Mell gingerly lifted the injured puppy into his van, Vils handed Mell a business card and told him to call if he needed help.

Mell rushed to the nearest veterinarian. The dog needed X-rays and painkillers, but the vet wouldn't treat the dog until Mell came up with the $280.

``I gave them all the money I had in my pocket, about $100,'' Mell said.

Vils put the rest on her credit card.

``It felt nice to help,'' Vils said. ``It was a very good feeling.''

When the vet told Mell surgery on the dog's broken front leg would cost another $1,000, Vils helped Mell find a vet that would do it for less.

Telephone's leg was all but healed when the dog broke it again while jumping from the van. The folks at Century National Insurance came up with an additional $250.

``People are kind of leery of people who need help,'' Mell said. ``They don't know if they want money for food or drugs or booze. But animals, they're helpless. They're just like children.''

It's in the bag: Carol Hench of Woodland Hills was wheeling an overstocked shopping cart through the parking lot of Thrifty Drug Store in West Hills when ``a very nice looking, clean-cut young man'' approached her.

``Do you need some help?'' said the youth, who told her his name was Patrick.

``That would be very nice,'' Hench replied.

Patrick loaded the packages into the back seat of her car. Hench, who is in her 60s, gave him a $2 tip.

``He acted so surprised,'' she said. ``That's what made it even cuter.''

``There's so much in the news today about bad kids. There's never anything about good kids. But there's lots of them out here.''

Wheeling, no dealing: Michelle Jones and her two sons were lugging bags from a grocery store at Sepulveda Boulevard and Sherman Way in Van Nuys to the bus stop when a remote-control car tore across the parking lot.

``Mommy, look at that car,'' yelled her son, Michael, 3.

The man holding the remote control asked Michael if he had a car like it.

``No,'' Michael replied.

With that, the stranger handed Michael the remote control and strolled away.

``My mouth just dropped open,'' said Jones, who recently moved to the Van Nuys from New York City. ``I tried to get `Thank you' out, and I finally did. It threw me for a loop.

``Nothing like this ever happened to us in New York.''

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Photo: Telephone (the dog) and his owner, Richard Mell, second from right, are grateful for the help they got from Leslie Fleishman, left, Marla Vils, Michael Pacheco and Susan Soto, right.

Tina Gerson/Daily News