Goodwood festival is really going to the dogs

THE DUKE and Duchess of Richmond’s magnificent country estate, Goodwood, is famous for playing host to annual festivals. There’s ‘Glorious Goodwood’, devoted to flat-racing, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed motoring event, where guests have included Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves.

Now, they have added a barking new fixture to the social calendar. They are launching a festival for dogs — with the apt title of Goodwoof — in May next year, when their 12,000-acre estate in West Sussex will be taken over for one weekend by canines.

The line-up of activities for both pet and owner include competitions, demonstrations, pampering and treats.

Pulling out all the stops to ensure the occasion is an unforgettable one, there will also be an open-air cinema, stalls selling dog-friendly fare and rescue dogs demonstrating their skills.

‘Many people I know share the 3rd Duke’s philosophy; they would far rather spend time and money on their dogs than they would on their human guests,’ says the current Duke.

‘To this day, Goodwood is an entirely dog-friendly estate: dogs can stay at the Hotel, accompany their owners in the restaurants, and even join our Members’ clubhouse, The Kennels.

‘We thought that it was only fitting to dedicate an entire event to them, just as we do with cars and horses at our other flagship meetings.’

With several canine portraits displayed on the walls, dogs have long been a celebrated aspect of the house.

The 3rd Duke loved them so much that he commissioned a state-ofthe-art dog house by architect James Wyatt, which boasted impressive features including central heating.

The abode has since been turned into the central clubhouse for all of the estate’s sporting members.

As the weekend that Goodwoof takes place — May 24-25 — falls in the same month as the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the Duke and Duchess will also host an exhibition documenting the role that dogs played in World War II.