Have you tried anthropomorphic versions of characters like the "White Collar" folks? Neal should be a fox or a coyote (IIRC, there are some sorta rare black foxes, which would be better for his hair-color), Peter a big dog (one of the very smart breeds like a shepherd or retriever), and El a Siamese cat (the old-fashioned type, comfortably rounded, not the exaggeratedly-angular, long-faced ones that're the current cat-show "breed standard" these days).

Post links to the WhiteCollarFic community when you do more, okay?