It says a lot about the very British obsession with dogs that the kennels at Goodwood in West Sussex had central heating installed before it was fitted in the stately home for the humans.
Built in 1787 for the 3rd Duke of Richmond, Charles Lennox, the kennels were for the hounds of the Charlton Hunt. Heating was provided by large iron plates, warmed from behind by roaring fires. “They were probably the most luxurious kennels in the entire world,” said the modern-day Charles Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond.
There is no greater demonstration of the love for our four-legged friends than the two-day extravaganza of all things hound which began on Saturday at Goodwood, a place more usually associated with cars.
Welcome to Goodwoof, founded by the current duke, where around 20,000 people and 12,000 dogs — including 600 dachshunds that took part in the morning parade, led by a Bavarian oompah band — gathered this weekend.
There was doga (doggy yoga), reiki, a styling salon, a massage parlour and hound bathing. There are also readings (about dogs, obviously) from the likes of Michael Morpurgo and Clare Balding.
The Princess of Wales’s brother, James Middleton, who has a mere six dogs — Zulu, Inka, Luna, Mabel, Nala and Isla — is due to appear on Sunday.
“The whole thing is delightfully eccentric,” said Rupert Barnes, 53, who had brought his wife Ali, their son Sebastian, five, and their two dachshunds, Bumble and Truffles. “We’re particularly looking forward to the doggy tarot card reading.”
The event, for which tickets cost £35 per adult, is partly a family day out, partly an indulgence of a national obsession.
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Whatever you do, don’t call it a dog show. “It’s not a dog show,” said the duke, who has a dachshund, Winston, and a working spaniel, Leto. “It’s a dog event unlike any other. It’s a celebration of mankind and his relationship with his dog.”
There is an on-site spa offering scruffy dogs free snips and a blow-dry. When the weather gets too hot, the pooches can have a paddle in Fido’s Lido.
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There is also complimentary doggy daycare run by the Gnawland nannies. Helen Taylor, 43, Abby Fell, 27, and Katie Bennett, 28, are kitted out in orange satin gloves and a sharp navy uniform, not unlike the Norland nannies whose services (for humans) were employed by the King and the Prince of Wales.
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The comedians Jack Dee and Seann Walsh recorded an episode of their Oh My Dog! podcast outside the doga tent. “I’ve never been to Glastonbury but I imagine this is less annoying,” said Dee, who brought his long-haired chihuahua, Dolly.
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Humans have not been entirely forgotten at the festival. The Taittinger bar serves champagne at £17 per glass. A £195 Fortnum & Mason hamper including duck liver parfait with port jelly, rosemary roast beef and a chilled bottle of German riesling sold out on Saturday.
“For that price they could have included something for the dogs,” complained the owner of one exhausted-looking bloodhound, which cocked its leg against the side of a decorative wicker basket lying on the ground.
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Alice Chan, 30, was well versed in the finer points of canine care. She had finished learning how to massage Halu, her ten-year-old Jack Russell, when she decided to visit the on-site pet medium for a 20-minute appointment to better understand what her best friend thinks of his life.
“This trip was specially for Halu’s birthday,” explained Chan. “[The medium] said that Halu said he is happy, because he doesn’t have to worry about anything. He knows he is being looked after.”
Alice Chan and Halu
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For Chan, that is what life is all about. “I give Halu everything. I don’t have any other dog so it all goes on him,” she said, while scratching his head. “To be honest, I think this is one lucky dog.”
