Pooches from the North West invited to meet Santa Paws
Guide Dogs Northern Ireland brings Christmas grotto to dog-friendly Da Vinci's
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane, Cllr Patricia Logue, is excited to kick off the holiday season by joining Guide Dogs Northern Ireland for their first-ever ‘Santa Paws’ event.
Taking place at the Style Bar of Da Vinci’s Hotel, the charity invites pet owners to bring their dogs along to get a 'paw-trait' together with Santa Claus, in exchange for the suggested donation of £10.00.
There will also be an opportunity to find out more about what the charity does and the many ways you can get involved.
Local guide dog owner Andrea O’Hagan, who has been in partnership with Labrador-Golden Retriever cross, Becky for five years, said:
“Becky has been a life-changer, giving me the confidence and independence to get out and about. We qualified just before Christmas so it is always a special time for us.
“We hope you can come along to this event and leave not only with a cute photo and memory but also a sense that you have made a difference.”
It costs over £55,000 for the charity to support each guide dog across its lifetime so anyone who can lend their support to change lives across Northern Ireland will be most welcome.
The event will take place on Sunday, December 3 from 11am to 4pm with no prior booking necessary. All dog owners are advised to think about whether this environment will be suitable for their dogs before bringing them.
There will be raffles, spot prizes and an opportunity to chat with those living with a vision impairment and staff and volunteers on the day.
A representative from Da Vinci’s said: “We are excited to have Guide Dogs NI with us for their dog grotto. We believe in their cause and as the only dog-friendly hotel in the city, supporting them was a no-brainer.”
Earlier this year, Derry City and Strabane recently became the first Council on the island of Ireland to approve a motion to make the area a visually aware space and Da Vinci’s have committed to this by their support of this event and upcoming sight loss awareness training provided by Guide Dogs NI.
For more information about what Guide Dogs NI do and how you can get involved, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/ volunteer