Loveable pug Albert has stayed by Nicole’s side through thick and thin

When my partner died in 2015, my friends clubbed together to save enough money to cover the adoption fees for Albert.

Gaz and I had always dreamed of owning a black pug called Albert, so when he passed away, my friends knew that having a dog would be the only thing that could help me through. I saved him and he saved me.

He’s been by my side through the best and worst times of my life

I love Albert endlessly. He is the most devoted, loyal dog in the world. He knows when I’m sad and he’s happy when I’m happy.

I don’t know what I would ever do without me. He’s nine years old now and has been by my side through the worst and best times of my life.

Irene and her husband are so grateful for the endless love, affection and laughter that Pippit has brought into their lives

We sadly lost our Springer Rowan about the same time that Pip was born. Rowan had travelled all over Europe with us in our caravan and was our constant companion. Losing him broke our hearts, but Pip mended them.

Pip has so many funny quirks

He’s a working Springer, but his favourite place to be is on the back of the sofa, where he sits crouched like a rather odd-looking leopard. Pip has so many funny quirks, like taking his bed out of his crate every morning. He always looks so proud trotting up and down the corridor with it, and he’s kept us going through lockdown just by making us laugh every day.

Pip has a long coat over his shoulders which curls the wrong way, which can sometimes make him look as though he’s got a lion’s mane. One of his favourite things to do is search for treats I’ve hidden around the house for him. In the evenings, he likes to curl round my neck to watch TV. He really is an adorable, loving little chap.

When Caroline suffered a bad injury, her dog Guiness was there to nurture her back to health

In 2012, I had a very bad horse riding accident and was hospitalised. When I could return home my little Guiness hadn't seen me in nearly two weeks, so he knew something was wrong.

He wasn't too pushy for fusses or cuddles and wouldn’t get under my feet like he used to. For weeks, he would walk behind me and follow me up the stairs, just to make sure I was always ok. Once, when I did need help, he ran to get my mother by barking at her and leading her towards me.

Guiness has always kept a smile on my face

If he hadn’t looked after me so well and kept me entertained, I don't think I'd have been so quick to recover. I wanted to get better so I could take him for walks again, or even to local dog shows. Guiness has always kept a smile on my face with all his quirks, and I’ll be forever grateful for having a smart and protective companion to look out for me.

Nowadays, I'm all healed and Guiness has turned into a grumpy old man! He has to have a morning nap and be fed on his schedule with no room for lateness – but he’ll always be my best boy, no matter what.

Donna is so proud of how Ozzy Dawg looks out for everyone, particularly her son Alfie

Ozzy Dawg is best friends with my seven-year-old son, Alfie. We’ve been puppy parents for Hounds for Heroes over the years and have looked afterthree pups so far. Ozzy Dawg has taken each one under his watchful command and taught them how to behave in the woods and park.

Ozzy Dawg has taken each one under his watchful command

He also keeps Alife safe too, looking out for him and making sure he’s ok. They have a very special bond!

Max is an all-rounder – he helps teach children how to respect animals, he supports other dogs with their social skills, and he has even helped Jess hand-rear rescue kittens

Max has been renamed ‘Super Max’ by all the local children as he often goes into schools to meet them. We have a programme where we teach young children how to be safe around animals, and their favourite part is coming to stroke him at the end of the lesson.

Max is amazing with all the children and can walk into any environment calmly, making everyone feel instantly relaxed. A lot of children who were initially too scared to sit with the class during the first part of the session will build up confidence to come and say hello to him by the end.

He’s been renamed ‘Super Max’ by all the local children

He has also helped me hand-rear lots of rescue kittens over the years, and more recently a litter of wild baby rabbits. He loves the babies and will protect and clean them like they’re his own.

On top of everything, Max has helped a lot of other dogs build up their social skills. He is such a kind and calming influence. He always knows they’re nervous so he’s very patient with them.

Over the last five years, he has come out with me on all my training sessions as my wingman and he’s never put a foot wrong! He really is the bestest boy through and through.

While volunteering for British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Lizzi discovered that Goose had an unexpected superpower

Goose is a Cyprus street dog. One of her best qualities is her kindness and intuition – she comes to work with me out on the beach and puts my coaching clients at ease. She’s also a volunteer SAS Rep and a Marine Mammal Medic Search and Rescue Dog.

For SAS, she helps run beach cleans and is extremely patient with all the children. She’s also self-trained in finding ghost fishing nets for us to collect. We bring her to fundraisers too and she acts as a great draw. She is so mellow and relaxed, and people gravitate towards her. When I’m asked what breed she is, I say she is a total mix and that she must be made with 100% love.

One of her best qualities is her kindness and intuition

For British Divers Marine Life Rescue, we attend callouts to sick and injured seal pups and Goose is brilliant at locating them. Ordinarily we would say keep dogs well away from seals – and to be fair, Goose keeps her distance – but after attending a great many callouts, she must have realised what we were looking for. One evening, we were on the beach in the dark, searching for a seal pup that had been called in with vague location details. We had her on the lead, and after around 45 minutes in the pitch black we were giving up. So, we took her off-lead and saw her blue collar light disappear back to an area we had already searched.

She climbed about ten feet up a rock, then stopped still. As we approached, we saw that ten metres away from her, fast asleep in a rock crevice, was our poorly seal pup. Since then, we have paid a lot more attention to her when out on rescues and she always leads us straight to them, which is a great help when time can be critical. I can say for certain that she’s saved many seal pup lives.

Goose is loved by all who meet her and she holds a huge part in our hearts. For a small dog, she has made a lifelong impact on us, and we are eternally grateful to have found each other. She is my hero and teaches me life lessons every day!