The crippling fear of dogs can leave some children unable to walk down the street.

However, a new group for youngsters with cynophobia, which is one of only two in the country, produced startling results at its very first session.

Janet Tandy started the Kent Cynophobia Assistance Group in Kingswood, near Maidstone, after becoming concerned while working as a Kennel Club instructor by the numbers of youngsters who were terrified of the animals.

She said: “We’re not talking about children who hide behind Mum when they see a dog here.

“Some children with cynophobia are so petrified of dogs that they travel to school in a car with blacked-out windows, or they can be physically sick or worse when seeing a dog.

“Some children do not go on holiday because they may see a dog – this has a huge impact on the rest of the family.

“These children can put themselves in dangerous situations to avoid a dog, such as running into the road, jumping into water or running away.”

Watch: Children overcome their fear of dogs

She decided to prepare a carefully-selected handful of dogs who could help children overcome their fears.

The highly-trained seven calm canines chosen for the task, who range from a westie to a border collie and even a three-legged lurcher, had to be docile even when youngsters were very frightened of them.

At the first class, children had a closed area at one end of the hall where they could see the dogs but not meet them until they were confident enough.

Within an hour, however, several were handling, brushing and petting the dogs. Other local children who did not have a fear of the animals were also there to encourage them to interact.

Mrs Tandy said: “I was delighted and so were the parents. We had brilliant feedback – some were amazed that their children, who had been so frightened of dogs, were so quickly interacting.”

The group was supported by the only other class in the country dealing with the issue, held in Essex. Roy Dyer, who runs it, came with several of his trainers.

It is also backed by borough councillor Brian Mortimer and sponsored by Danny Streeter, of Arkas Industrial Doors.

The free event, run by volunteers, will be held on Monday nights at the hall.

For details, call Mrs Tandy on 01622 842209 or email janet@goodog.co.uk.

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