Despite Lulu’s barking, shedding and laziness, Rob and his family couldn’t imagine life without her

This is Lulu. We got her from a rescue centre a few years ago after she'd clearly had quite a rough time with a breeder who'd definitely over-bred her. She just looked so sad when we saw her, and the kids fell in love with her on the first meeting.

She thinks she's a lot smaller than she is

We'd vowed to get a small to medium-sized dog, and she is NOT that! She's lazy as hell, she sheds everywhere, she barks too much for no reason, she has the most evil farts and she’s now a bit incontinent, but we love her to bits.

We even love it when she climbs up on the sofa between us, when there clearly isn't enough room for her. She thinks she's a lot smaller than she is, bless her!

Through helping her dog Tara to come out of her shell, Sharon has learned how important it is to look after herself

Three years ago, I decided to adopt a rescue dog. Fate led me to a forlorn little puppy who had been saved from a life of cruelty – her name was Tara.

It was a bumpy start. She was totally terrified and barely moved, having been mute the whole 12-hour car journey home. But with time, a lot of patience and unconditional love from me and my two gentle cats, she started to come out of her shell. She took two weeks to bark and it was months before she could sleep on her own, but slowly, her confidence grew and her beautiful fun, cuddly character emerged. She still prefers other animals to humans, but if you give her the time to get to know you, gaining her love and affection is a feeling like no other.

Together, we’ll walk through life

Adopting Tara has changed my life. I have Type 1 diabetes, which brings with it a realm of challenges. By focusing on protecting this vulnerable little pup and working to make her happy, I was distracted from my own dark thoughts. Through her I met fantastic new people in my area and got out and about, spending my days walking in nature instead of hiding at home.

Now we are a team and together, we’ll walk through life, looking out for each other and helping each other to grow. We are both the perfect example of how much good comes from accepting imperfection, and celebrating differences.

Albus may not always show it, but he loves his owner Jayne with all his heart

Five years ago, I brought my French Bulldog Albus home. I remember spending hours searching on the internet ‘how do I know if my Frenchie is happy?’, because he always looked so grumpy!

He always looked so grumpy!

I’ve come to the conclusion that he just has one of those faces. Over the years, he’s been by my side through some really tough times, and he’s definitely helped me to get through them all. He follows me around when I'm anxious, which reminds me to sit down and take a breather. Albus always gives the perfect cuddles and loves a smooch or two.

It’s become pretty clear that Albus is happiest when I’m happy – or when we leave him home alone and he’s free to snooze on the sofa!

Shadow has come a long way since Ashley and her partner rescued him as a puppy, and now he’s their favourite travel companion

My partner and I started our search for our first ever dog five and a half years ago. We knew we wanted to rehome to a rescue, so we got in contact with lots of charities. That’s when we saw a scruffy black dog who had just made his way to the UK after being rescued from the streets in Romania.

After meeting at his foster home (and noticing he’d grown A LOT in the few weeks since his rescue), we brought that scruffy puppy home. It just so happened that his name was already Shadow, which I loved as Homeward Bound was my favourite childhood movie! In the first few months, as he got used to living in a home for the first time, we started to think ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?!’ But with weekly training sessions and agility, he soon got the hang of his home life.

He makes our little family of three complete

Fast forward a couple of years, and we decided to buy a motor home and travel Europe for six months. Now Shadow is a big dog, so we were a little apprehensive about him in our small home on wheels, but he took to life on the road like a duck to water. Every time we pulled up in a new place, he’d be at the windscreen begging to get out and explore!

In the past five years, we’ve taken Shadow to 12 countries, up countless mountains, on boats, on trains and just about anywhere else we could! He’s our best friend and he makes our little family of three complete.

Ruth’s dog Lazlo has helped to bring her family even closer together

When Lazlo came into our life, we had not long adopted our children. He helped them to understand that we were their forever family.

A while later, when I temporarily lost sight in one eye, Lazlo was my loyal companion. He guided me until I was better, always looking out for me to make sure I was ok. He’s such a calming influence and adapts so well to any situation.

Lazlo was my loyal companion

He fits in perfectly with our family and looks after his furry companions as much as his human ones. He has two sister cats, Flossie and Raven, two house rabbits called Harley and Quinn, and this year, he even got a new sister puppy, Lyra.

Lazlo is so protective of us all that he can sometimes get quite ‘barky’ when anyone new approaches us. He may be a dog, but he’s got the heart of a lion!

Lizzy’s vineyard job can be somewhat lonely at times, but luckily Arlo and Pip are always on hand to brighten her days

My dogs are my world. They come with me everywhere and there is never a moment that we’re apart. We work on a vineyard in Essex – me looking after the vines and the dogs exploring all day. Without my dogs it would be an extremely lonely job. They are my company every day and they never fail to make me laugh.

Without my dogs it would be an extremely lonely job

Arlo (a Labrador) is six and I have had him since I was 16. He has been my best friend for years now and has been with me through everything, from living with my parents to buying my own home and getting engaged. One day, he’ll be the best man at our wedding. Pip (a working Cocker puppy) is our newest addition at three months old and he’s full of beans.

Pip loves to run and jump at dandelions, play with insects, chase butterflies and dig holes. Arlo loves sleeping ALL DAY in the sun and chewing sticks when he does get up (sometimes). They are lucky boys and I like to think they are very happy too.