Vandalised Snowdogs patched up by South Tyneside students and returned to Sunderland

Centre, Dave Cleary, Head of Learning and Standards for Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing at South Tyneside College, with, l-r, students Leon Stickley, Jack Smith, Joe Hubbick and Darryl Seago.

Aerodog in Market Square and Snowdog Down the Rabbit Hole, as well as Rocket Dog from Newcastle, were damaged last weekend just hours before the Great North Snowdogs arts trail went live across the North East.

Whilst people have been snapping selfies with the rest of the pack all week, the poorly pooches had to be taken away for repairs.

Aerodog with a wing broken off last weekend

Automotive students from South Tyneside College took the lead and switched from vehicles to became makeshift vets to mend the painted fibreglass figures who are helping to raise funds for St Oswald’s Hospice.

A team of apprentices and level 2 and level 3 students, based at the college’s motor vehicle training centre at Kings Industrial Estate in Jarrow, fixed them with a special fibreglass filler known as glass reinforced plastic – an exact match of the dogs’ original material.

Artists who originally painted the sculptures then joined the students to do final re-touching work, with the dogs then taken on walkies back to their public exhibition places.

Body and paint lecturer Alan Fidler said: “It was sad to see that the dogs had been damaged but it’s been a great project for the students to be involved with. The students learn to work with plastics, including glass reinforced plastic, as part of their course, so they were the ideal people for St Oswald’s to turn to.

Great North Snowdog artist Heather Penten with her damaged snowdog at Park Lane Interchange.

“We already have links to the hospice and so were delighted to be able to help. The dogs are very beautiful, it’s great to have patched them up and got them back them back to where they are meant to be.

“We are grateful to Jane Hogan and Andrew Moir from St Oswald’s for giving us this opportunity to be involved in the Snowdogs’ initiative.”

Jane Hogan, Great North Snowdogs project lead, said: “We are so grateful to the students from South Tyneside College for stepping up to help us patch up our pack. Thousands of people have already begun our trail and we are delighted that we can now get our poorly pooches back on the streets for all to enjoy.

“Our Snowdogs are beautiful and we want everyone to enjoy them, but they also have an important purpose, as we will be auctioning them to raise funds for St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice. We urge visitors to the trail to help us protect our pack and to not sit on them.”

Aero Dog who can be seen at Market Square

College apprentice auto-body repair student Darryl Seago, 21, from South Frederick Street, South Shields, who helped patch-up the dogs, added: “The Snowdogs have been created to support a really great cause, and so it’s been a pleasure to help out with these repairs.

“It was also a good way for us to practice our skills and to learn a bit more about how to use the tools of our trade. It’s nice to know we’ve contributed to the snow dogs project.”

The sculptures will be auctioned after the trail which closes on November 29.

•Here’s where to see the Snowdogs in Sunderland.

•Here’s where to see the Snowdogs in South Shields.