A Woof to Goodwoof!

And that was a wrap for Goodwoof 2024!

Our third year at Goodwoof was nothing short of amazing. It was a weekend filled with joy and celebration with our beloved dogs.

This year was dedicated to Labradors at Goodwoof, with hundreds of them marching in the Pooch Parade each morning, led by beating drums.

The event was packed with activities, ranging from action sports (Flyball demos, Agility, Hoopers and Fastest Dog competitions), Fido’s Lido, to Pawtrait artistry, Wellness sessions, and of course, lots of shopping. There were moments to even take a nap at the back of a Bentley and a tattoo of Snoopy.

And of course, Snoopy was there!

There were Breed Meet-ups – and the three Rescue Dogs of London were there for the Rescue Meet!

A Fortnum & Mason‘s picnic lunch with rosé bubbly is a must! And we sat under glorious sunshine.

One of my favourite spots was the Literary Corner, where various authors spoke about their books and celebrities did readings.

Hugh Bonneville read excerpts from Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, The Wizard of Oz, and Paddington. During the Q&A, he revealed that filming for the new Downton Abbey movie has begun! A young audience asked if he could talk “Bear”, and he did!

Clare Balding read an excerpt from her book Isle of Dogs. She shared a humorous story about having lunch with the late Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh with the corgis in attendance.

James Middleton, a regular at Goodwoof, was there to talk about his book Meet Ella. It was an emotional session that brought back many memories of losing Darcy. I loved what he said at the end that it is ok to talk about them and to remember them even though they are no longer physically with us. This resonated with me. I still talk about Darcy. We have other dogs but there is always the on dog – and as Ella’s was James, Darcy was mine.

Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life will be available on September 26 and is available for pre-order.

James met Lulu this year. He has met George in the past but sadly, not Darcy.

Our friends, Clay and Lucy, won the Spirit of Goodwoof prize at the Chien Chairmant – Goodwoof’s version of ‘Best in Show’ competition to celebrate the relationship between dogs and their owners. And Roxie and Cooper won the third prize! Our friends always seem to win!

We danced at the Ministry of Hounds with DJ Fat Tony!

It had been such a long time since I was last on a dance floor. I never quite got the steps, but it didn’t matter! I have always loved dancing with Darcy, George, and now Lulu!

We were excited to meet AJ Pritchard, once a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing.

There were also special moments of remembering lost ones at the Ruby Tree, named after the Duke’s cherished spaniel. We could print the names and a message of loved ones who have passed to tie to the tree.

When we needed some quiet time, we went for a Woodland Walk an adventure trail through the Goodwood Estate’s stunning landscape. Along the way we the Japanese meditation practice – Forest Bathing workshop and Truffle Hunting. We stopped at tarot card reading.

I needed to do a reading for Lulu, but as before, she didn’t seem to communicate. Instead, the tarot card reader picked up on George … and then me! I am certainly praying all she said will come true!

We even got Lulu a new bed at the Barkitecture auction in partnership with Bonhams!

This year’s kennel design competition theme was Lounge Access: For the Jet-Setting Dog, and it was won by ‘Pet-All’ by Rolls-Royce – Anders Warming.

George decided we should bid for the Aston Martin kennel concept “DBK-9” designed by Marek Reichman for toy dog breeds. Perfect for Lulu! It fitted perfectly with our decor, aside from the fact that George decided he didn’t want to share his bed with Lulu.

All proceeds from the auction went to Jai Rescue Dogs, the 2024 charity partner.

At the end of another wonderful weekend celebrating dogs, we drank champagne at the Taittinger Champagne Bar.

Well, it was also fitting to start with champagne! It was a lovely time shared with friends.

And as in every year, we always had our photo taken here – between the D and W – reminding me that Darcy’s with us.

We began our journey with Goodwoof because of Darcy. She passed away the weekend when we were supposed to be hosting the first Goodwoof preview in 2022. I was reluctant to attend it that year but did because I always believed in it. We had won the Spirit of Goodwoof prize and was posing for a photo between the GOODWOOF letters … and gasped when I saw that we were standing between D and W.

It has been an annual event for us from the very start and sharing it with friends is truly the best way to enjoy the weekend.

In our first year, we went for just one day on a Sunday and missed almost everything. We realised we needed to attend both days the next year. As Goodwoof grew, we knew we had to be there from the start on Saturday, so this year we went down to Chichester on Friday to throughly enjoy the two day event! There was no shortage of things to do, with plenty of activities for humans as well.

We are already making plans to return next year on the weekend of 17-18 May, 2025. Tickets are already available on the Goodwood site.

Can’t wait for next year! See you there!