Pampered Pooch Gets 5th ‘Barkday’ Bash With Pals

People have birthdays; dogs have barkdays.

So says Mary Park of Beverly Hills, who is throwing a fifth barkday party this weekend for her Wheaton terrier, Rachel. The occasion has become an annual event; about 30 of Rachel’s fluffy friends will come fitted out to match this year’s Hawaiian theme.

The little pooch outfit, made by a New York designer, features a shimmering gold hula skirt over a tiny bikini and a ring of grass around each paw.

Her guests are the pets of the Beverly Hills and Hollywood elite, Park says. The festivities open with a parade of doggies in costume, followed by a contest to pick the king and queen of the day.

Then there is a lunch of biscuits, presented in bowls set on place mats and adorned with flowers. Each doggie will go home with favors--a sand pail filled with toys and its name imprinted on the side.

And what would a barkday be without a cake? Rachel’s is a special concoction made of wheat flour, soy flour, carrots and honey.

*

FAIR WARNING: If you’re drunk, don’t drive, especially in Malibu next week. Smokey will be out to get you.

And be especially careful between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. Thursday, because that’s when the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol will have sobriety checkpoints in place.

They have to tell you when, but they don’t have to tell you where.

“We feel the publicity value is enough that when an occasional drinker learns we are holding a checkpoint it may be enough to discourage them from drunk driving,” said Sgt. Kevin Mauch of the Lost Hills sheriff’s station, which covers Malibu and Calabasas.

Despite that, out of about 800 to 1,200 people stopped on a typical night, there may be 10 to 12 DUI offenders in addition to other violations, he said.

Although locations are not released in advance, officers do post signs warning drivers that they are about to approach a checkpoint. Drivers could then choose to turn off as long as they do it safely.

But drunk drivers typically do not realize what is happening until it is too late. Then some of them make it worse by doing something dangerous while trying to get away.

“My favorite is the drunk driver who realizes he’s in line for a checkpoint, panics and backs up, hitting the car behind him,” Mauch said.

*

OF ALL PEOPLE: Westside resident Roseanne you loved her version of “The Star Spangled Banner”--will get the Freedom of Speech Award of the Americans for Democratic Action later this month.

Some non-fans might have a different opinion, but the ADA really likes her.

“Her insistence on portraying the true problems of the working-class woman, instead of a sanitized myth, has resulted in one of the most influential shows in TV history,” according to the invite for the organization’s Eleanor Roosevelt Awards Dinner, scheduled for April 30 at the Airport Hyatt Hotel.

“Roseanne is an artist with the courage to stand up for her beliefs and the talent to make a difference,” the group said.