Year: 2018

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DogFest 2018 – Bristol

June 23rd marked the fifth annual festival dedicated towards our canine companions – DogFest!

In 2005, Noel and Kira Fitzpatrick founded Fitzpatrick Referrals; a world-class veterinary centre that combines their lifelong love and compassion for animals with their excellence in veterinary medicine.

They were then inspired to create DogFest, much to the delight of doggo owners across the country.

 

“DogFest is a day for all dog lovers, vets, nurses, physiotherapists and rehabilitation practitioners, trainers of canine athletes, doggie guardians and people who just love dogs and everything they represent to come together in a field, have a laugh and smile with the dogs. It’s about dogs coming together and meeting each other and having a marvellous time. It’s about all of the unconditional love that dogs bring to our lives.” – Neil Fitzpatrick 

 

There are three separate DogFest events each year. This time round they took place in Cheshire and Bristol, with the final festival happening in Hertfordshire on July 7th.

We took a trip to Bristol to help celebrate in true Fancy Dogs style!

The fun-filled day comprises of live music, the ‘great dog walk’, a doggie school, a ‘dogs with jobs’ showcase and TONS more activities for everyone to enjoy. (Both two legged and four legged!)

It was a super-hot day, which made it especially great to see paddling pools dotted across the fields. The cool down spots were accompanied by a huge pool setup for the ‘dog diving’ event – potentially our highlight of the day.

Seeing the confident pooches jump right in was fantastic. The shyer dogs weren’t as quick to take a dive, but they soon found themselves splashing around with a little help from their owners.

We made a lot of new furry friends throughout the day of all shapes and sizes. One little guy that we spent some time with was the dashingly handsome “Maurice”, a tiny French Bulldog.

DogFest Bristol was a wonderful day filled with smiles and laughter from start to finish. We will be attending their final event of the year in Hertfordshire and can’t wait to see some more waggy tails and happy faces!

– Oh, and in case you didn’t know – Dogs can skateboard!

Scroll through our gallery below to see the full photo set from the weekend.

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Dog Events for your Diary

Here at Fancy Dogs we love going to dog events. They are the pawfect way to meet like-minded owners and let your dog socialise with other breeds of all shapes and sizes. Plus they can take you to some of the most beautiful places you may never think to go.

We’ve sniffed out some events from around the country that will get your tails wagging!

Great Hampstead Bark Off

Where: Primrose Hill, London

When: 12 May 2018

The Great Hampstead Bark Off is back at Primrose Hill to raise money for All Dogs Matter. The event features a dog-themed bake-off (with a prize for the best bake), so get your baking caps on. There are loads of stalls so you can pick up a few presents for your canine friend.

Paws in the Park

Where: Barleylands Farm, Billericay

When: 30th June – 1st July 2018

Paws in the Park is a massive dog show set in the grounds of Barleylands Farm. The Event features loads of fun classes, doggy water sports in the lake, and loads of shopping. Plus the ground features a petting zoo and a craft village.

London Pug Parade

Where: London

When: 11 August 2018

Own a pug? Or just love them? Then head down to the Pug Parade in London. The starting place has yet to be announced (at time of writing) but keep an eye on their Facebook page

All About Dogs Show

Where: Norfolk Showground, Norwich

When: 26 – 27 August

All About Dogs in Norfolk is shaping up to be a brilliant one! With live performances from Britain’s Got Talent finalists Trip Hazard, Live shows and even a Dog quiz, you will have a fun day packed full of things to do.

Pup Aid

Where: Primrose Hill, London

When: 1 September 2018

Pup Aid is returning to London to raise money for the campaign against puppy farming. The event is popular with celebrities who are always on hand to judge competitions. This is a fabulous day out in a great part of London for a very important cause.

Chiswick House Dog Show

Where: Chiswick, London

When: 23 September 2018

The stunning grounds of Chiswick House provides the perfect backdrop to this lovely dog event. There will be over 40 stands to explore, an egg and spoon relay to take part in and fantastic food and drink stalls to visit.

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Dachshund through the Snow: Sausage Walk London

It may have been -1°C, but that didn’t stop around 1000 sausage dogs and their owners descending on Greenwich Park on Sunday. The precious pooches, dressed in a fabulous array of winterwear, headed for a rather chilly walk around one of London’s most beautiful outdoor areas.

Sausage Walk London, organised by Mildred the Sausage and George The Sausage, started at King William Walk and headed up the hill to the Royal Observatory, where you have a beautiful view of London in the snow. After this, it was a slow and slippery walk back down to the bottom of the hill to the Kings Arms to warm up and have a drink.

The walk was set up to raise money for Street Vet, an excellent organisation that helps care for dogs whose owners are homeless.

The walk also happened to be a birthday treat for one of Mildred’s humans. Happy Birthday!

 

Check out more photos from the day below…

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ADM Valentine’s Day Walk 2018

Fancy Dogs proudly supports All Dogs Matter.

Here at Fancy Dogs, we decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day a little bit early this year. We gathered with our friends from All Dogs Matter for a festive dog walk on Hampstead Heath.

All Dogs Matter are a brilliant charity who rescue, rehabilitate and rehome abandoned dogs. As well as dogs who’s owners can sadly no longer look after them. Their aim is to find every dog a loving home, with the best possible owner.

The Garden Gate pub was where the walk began, and were blown away by the amount of dogs! The dress code was definitely a romantic one – dogs and owners alike were dressed in their best red and pink clothes! (With lots of red doggy jumpers, and accessories galore!)

We decided to join in with the group taking the longer walk around the Heath, so that we got more time with the dogs, and were treated by sunshine and the incredible view at Parliament Hill. The dogs definitely all enjoyed themselves!

Who we met

We got to meet some lovely dogs, including Sharifa, whose human told us she’d had a very hard life in Mazar-e-Sharif, which means the holy shrine and is her name sake, in Afghanistan, before being rescued. Rope was tied around her neck as a puppy which has resulted in terrible skin problems. Due to her homelessness she also developed a severe case of mange. An incredible charity Nowzad took her in, their aim is to relieve suffering of animals in Afghanistan – not just dogs, but all animals in need of help.

Sharifa was lovingly adopted by one of the charity’s trustees named David.  She now lives with him and his wife Ann in her loving forever home, here in the UK. What an amazing story! To read more about her incredible journey, visit her Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/nowzadsharifa/about/?ref=page_internal

To learn more about Nowzad’s amazing goals, visit: http://www.nowzad.com/

Two of All Dogs Matter’s own foster dogs, Pugaliers Lucy and Ethel, were also at the walk, and they’re looking for their new families. There’s so many dogs who need their forever home, to take a look, visit the website here: https://alldogsmatter.co.uk/rehoming_status/available-for-adoption/

To learn more about All Dogs Matter, visit their website here: https://alldogsmatter.co.uk/, and even if you can’t adopt, please donate, it’s for a pawsome cause!

 

Thanks, Fancy Dogs Team.

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Fancy Dogs featured on Pretty52.com!

“The Most Extra Fancy Dress Outfits For Dogs”

“There is no better feeling than stepping out in a brand new outfit, just knowing that you look on fleek. It’s one of life’s greatest joys. So why wouldn’t we want to extend that joy to our nearest and dearest, our four-legged friend?”

Click here to read the full article written by our friends and fellow dog lovers at Pretty52.com.

Thanks again, Pretty 52!