I love playing football, but it’s always been a problem for me as, many times when I was out playing, I would see a dog which was very scary for me – especially German shepherds, as they look like big wolves.

I really did want to stop being worried about dogs. We heard about the cynophobia classes and, one day, my mum took me along.

I was really frightened about seeing the dogs but, when I got there, nobody said anything about dogs. Roy and his team made me feel really at ease and reassured me that I didn’t have to do anything that I didn’t want to. They asked me about my favourite sport, who was my favourite pop star and things like that.

Every Wednesday, my two brothers and I learned about why dogs behaved like they did and why they barked. We played games and also stroked and walked the dogs. They showed me what to do if a dog came up to me and how I should behave when I’m near a dog. Each week my confidence grew and I wasn’t so frightened after a while.

Over time, I felt so much happier around dogs that my family decided to get a puppy. We now have a dog called Oscar and I love taking him out for walks. I can also happily go and play my football matches without even thinking if there is going to be a dog around.

I want to say a big thank you to Roy and the rest of the team for helping me overcome my fear and for choosing me to meet her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall. I presented her with a statue of her favourite breed of dog, a Jack Russell.

It was a very special day for me and my family.

by Joshua Gray