The sound of dogs barking mixed with the voices of the Girls’ Choir in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, this lunchtime (Tuesday December 12) for the Peata Carol Service. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing and Away in a Manger were among the festive favourites enjoyed by dogs of all sizes at the annual carol service which celebrates the joy pets bring and in particular the gifts that therapy dogs bring to patients and staff they visit in caring institutions.
The large canine and human congregation was welcomed by Dean Dermot Dunne who paid tribute to the service provided by Peata volunteers throughout the year.
The Dean reserved special mention for the members of the Girls’ Choir who responded to the cathedral’s call four weeks ago to come and sing at the service. They had spent four weeks practicing with Tom Little and James Short of the cathedral’s music department. He also thanked the girls’ parents for their support and appealed to them to continue to enable their children to be part of the choir.
“We want to build up the Girls’ Choir. They add to the life of the cathedral but they also receive the gift of sight reading music,” he commented to a round of applause which prompted an enthusiastic round of barks from the dogs.
Later in the service, chairman of Peata Ian Sutton thanked the Dean and cathedral staff for their invitation to the carol service and the choir for their contribution. He said that Peata volunteers and their dogs gave up their time each week to visit care institutions. “There is no doubt that all the dogs that visit bring such joy to the patients and staff at the units we visit. We all know that feeling of satisfaction afterwards,” he said. He revealed that this year Peata had added 60 new volunteers and their dogs to their visiting teams.
