10.12.2025
Storm Bram Doesn’t Paws Cathedral Dog Carol Service
Dogs and their owners are no strangers to being out in all weather conditions so it was no surprise that so many braved Storm Bram yesterday (Tuesday December 9) for the Peata Therapy Dog Carol Service in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
The cathedral was filled with the sound of mostly joyful barking for the ever–popular annual event which celebrates the service provided by Peata therapy dogs and their owners as well as the gift of pets.
The lively festive hymns and carols, which concluded with the dogs’ favourite ‘Bark! the herald angels sing’, were accompanied by the cathedral’s Girls’ Choir under the direction of Tomos Watkins.
Amid excited whines, Dean Dermot Dunne welcomed the congregation saying the service was the highlight of his Christmas season.
Peata’s Margo Wrigley thanked all at the cathedral for facilitating the service, the choir for their beautiful singing and Archbishop Michael Jackson for joining them. She thanked everyone who came out despite the dire weather warnings and said that for many, the Peata Carol Service marks the beginning of Christmas.
She said Peata is a very small charity run entirely by voluntary effort. She thanked all the Peata visiting teams who week after week visit people in various facilities including nursing homes, day centres and hospital units. “I know that they bring huge joy to the people in these facilities and I know that their relatives also enjoy the visits of the visiting teams, as do the staff,” she stated. She added that Peata would welcome applications from facilities wishing to be added to their lists.
As the service drew to a conclusion all dogs and their owners were invited forward for the blessing of the pets by Archbishop Jackson. He said it was wonderful to hear the dogs joining in the singing and the merriment throughout the service.
You can find out more about Peata, whose visiting teams have been visiting people in caring units for 25 years, at https://peata.ie/
