A SKATEBOARDING dog has helped three-year-old twins attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier come to terms with their ordeal.

Lilly and Candra Redshaw were set upon outside their Darlington primary school by a loose dog, leaving them injured and terrified.

Parents Tracy and Christopher and heroic eight-year-old brother Harry battled to save the twins as four-year-old sibling Dameon also looked on.

Today, the entire Redshaw family were invited to meet the cuddly canines housed at Newton Aycliffe’s K9 Pursuits.

The company’s owners, Gill Crawford and Andi Rogers, invited the family to their facility in a bid to cure the little girls of their fear of dogs, having been moved by their plight.

During their time at the centre the twins and their brothers watched dogs Paddy and Goose perform tricks before being invited to meet them and a number of fake animals, designed to help those with phobias.

Little Lilly, who has Prader-Willi syndrome, joined in enthusiastically with her brothers while Candra, still recovering from being bitten, battled her fears to happily watch the dogs skateboard.

Mr Redshaw – who was also bitten in the attack – said Candra had been nervous of dogs before the attack and thanked K9 Pursuits for offering to help her recover from her phobia, intensified by last week’s ordeal.

He said: “Their offer was appreciated, the staff have been excellent and the kids have loved it.

“They’ve laughed a lot and been reintroduced to animals at the same time – hopefully it will have helped them realise that not all dogs are dangerous.

“It’s been a valuable experience for them and I’m much happier to see them around dogs again.

“A lot of people have dogs and I don’t want them scared but they’re all little fighters and they’ll get through this.”

Gill Crawford from K9 Pursuits said: “The story really upset us, we promote responsible dog ownership and we felt the urge to help this family.

“We thought if we can get them in, not just today but for a few weeks, it will get them used to being around dogs again.

“This horrible, unfortunate incident had an effect on the whole family but we aim to get them to the point where they can all walk a dog themselves.”