It’ll be rainin’ on dogs

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Ooh la la, Fifi, it’s almost time for Bath’Stille Day at

the Costa Mesa Bark Park.

Friends of the Costa Mesa Bark Park are twisting the French national

holiday, Sunday, by turning it into a hound-hosing extravaganza. French

poodles are not the only ones who can take advantage of this annual

fund-raiser, all dogs are welcome to come out and bathe for a good cause,

event spokesman Terry Tyson said.

Mayor Linda Dixon will be on hand to help wash the four-legged patrons

at the annual event. The mayor said she is in charge of shampooing and

has plenty of experience with mutt make-overs, as she has had plenty of

practice on Greta and Sammy, her two brown boxers. Dixon said boxers

don’t like water, and if she can get Sammy and Greta doggedly delightful,

she can work wonders on less aqua-phobic pups.

“I will shampoo, but what I won’t be doing is lifting the dogs into

the basins,” Dixon said.

In addition to baths, the event also will showcase a dog agility

course, professional grooming, a vendors’ fair with a wide variety of

pet-related products, and pet portraits. For the serious dog enthusiast,

the famous barking dog T-shirts will be back by popular demand, Tyson

said.

Pet adoption agencies will also be on site representing pets who are

in need of a new home in case a family has extra room in the doghouse.

Funds raised from Bath’Stille Day are important for general upkeep of

the facility, which includes the tedious task of trying to grow luscious

grass under the paws of rowdy pooches.

The Bark Park is a recreational venue the mayor said she feels

strongly about. As a self-proclaimed animal lover, Dixon said she

understands that dogs can hold a special place in the hearts of Costa

Mesa residents. The Bark Park is a “leash-free” zone, where dogs are cast

loose to galavant and play with other dogs.

“Animals are a large part of many people’s lives, and they deserve to

have a place where they can run free and not have to worry and be happy,”

Dixon said.

Dixon said even people without dogs are welcome to get in on the fun.

“If you don’t have a dog, you are welcome to come down and, for $12,

we’ll hose you down,” Dixon joked.

FYI

What: Bath’Stille Day Dog Wash and Vendor Fair

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Costa Mesa Bark Park, on the corner of Arlington Drive and

Newport Avenue, north of the Orange County Fairgrounds

Cost: Baths for long-haired dogs, $17; short-haired dogs, $12

Information: (949) 548-8521 or e-mail o7 mail@CMBarkPark.org

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