Alfie doesn’t often enjoy doing what he’s told, but luckily Karen loves him unconditionally anyway

Alfie is a very quirky boy! He prefers to do the opposite of all other dogs. He hides under the table the moment you get his harness out. He doesn't play fetch – he’ll run for the ball, but there’s no chance you’ll get it back until he's eaten it!

He prefers to do the opposite of all other dogs

He doesn't like meals. He will do NOTHING for a treat. He rips up all his beds, preferring a bean bag or the floor. He won't give his paw, sit, lie or recall. And he loved escaping until we built our own Fort Knox!

He drinks from dirty puddles, water features, or anything other than his bowl – unless he's desperate. He's a typical terrier: full of character, spirited and an anarchist. But we love him dearly.

Blade the adorable Bullmastiff always makes sure Evan and his fiancé are happy and safe

Blade came into our lives when he was just 17 weeks old. We chose a Bullmastiff because we knew they had a strong character and good temperament, and Blade did not disappoint. He fit right into our little family, offering us endless laughs and slobbery kisses!

Snores like a tractor and eats like a horse

Everyone that meets Blade falls head over heels for him. He has so many funny quirks, like sitting and staring at the security camera we have for our house. When he recognises someone on the screen, he gets so excited that he runs straight to the door so he can greet them with a little dance.

Blade snores like a tractor and eats like a horse, but I wouldn’t change him for the world. He’s so loving and loyal, and loves to shower us with his adorable affection. My husband-to-be suffers with a disorder called Cluster Headaches, which can be distressing for him. Blade is so intuitive, he knows when an attack is imminent and will put his head on my partner’s knee, sitting with him until he’s calmed down. Blade is our very own super hero.

With plenty of medals and accolades to her name, Misty has shown Courtney that she’s not just a one-trick pony.

I know it sounds so cliché but my dog Misty really is one in a million. She is so smart and intelligent. Sometimes I think she’s human! I have two young children at home and needed to find something to mentally and physically challenge her, so we took up trick training.

We had no previous experience but by the time she was 11 months old, she’d already achieved her novice, intermediate, advanced and expert trick dog titles. She knows more tricks than I can count! She’s also got her silver good citizen award and is working towards her gold.

Misty stares straight into your soul

She’s such a brilliant family dog. She always knows when I’m down and will nuzzle her face into me to cheer me up. My children were arguing the other day over a toy and she jumped on the sofa, picked up the toy and brought it to me.

I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She brings everyone so much happiness. I know dogs don’t like direct eye contact but Misty stares straight into your soul! She has such mesmerising eyes.

Millie’s confidence has grown considerably since Dawn rescued her, and now she’s even supporting the newest addition to the family – another rescue dog called Basil

We rescued Millie from Bosnia in June 2020. She was a poor frightened girl who had never been in a house or had any love, and she was destined for the kill shelter.

We had to house train her, give her space, build up her trust with us and teach her to walk with a harness. After six months and lots of memorable moments, she finally blossomed into the most loving, loyal and happy dog.

She brings joy to our lives every day. We walk on the beach and go to nature reserves, coffee shops and cafés. Everyone knows her and she even has her own Facebook page with her brother Basil, who we adopted from Budapest six months after Millie.

She dug up a WWII bomb in our garden

Millie has been Basil’s mentor. He had been badly abused and she has taught him to play and trust other dogs and humans. She puts her paw on his head when he’s anxious and wraps her front legs around him when he’s scared.

Since coming into our lives, Millie has gone swimming in our pond with the fish (who were not impressed). She has dug up a WWII bomb in our garden which resulted in the bomb disposal unit being called out. She has caught a blackbird in her mouth without hurting it, and now they are best of friends. She has rearranged the garden, dug up plants, buried our shoes and climbed the trees to steal bird food.

When we go on holidays together, Millie and Basil come with us, even when we are playing in our band. Our world is a much better place with them in it.

Kelly wasn’t sure she was ready for another dog – that is, until Charlie bounded into her life.

Charlie came into our lives unexpectedly, after a text came through from a family member who knew how upset I was after losing my dog Bella. Lockdown was tough enough and without my sidekick, I was struggling.

Cute and cheeky Charlie

A change of circumstances meant Charlie faced the prospect of going back to the kennels, which was unideal seeing as he’d been through rescue centre twice already. He came for a visit one Friday night, just for a trial run – and he hasn't left since!

Initially we didn’t feel ready for another dog, but as soon as we saw him, we knew instantly that cute and cheeky Charlie was meant to be a part of our family. He’s so full of love and character, and such a happy dog.

Rhubarb is a family dog through and through, who looks out for Gill and his other humans as much as his fellow four-legged companions.

Rhubarb, our Cocker Spaniel, was born to one of our other Cockers Poppi. Sadly, she only had two pups and Rhubarb was the only one to survive.

Rhubarb became a firm favourite in our household and quickly settled in with his mum and his ‘Uncle Bruce’, another Cocker eight years his senior. He followed Bruce everywhere and loved nothing better than to snuggle up with him. One day, we had gone out and left our daughter asleep in bed, with the back door left open for the dogs to go in and out. Rhubarb started barking and running around our daughter’s room. He wouldn’t stop, so she followed him out to find Bruce in the Koi fish pond! 

Rhubarb had saved his life

The gate had been left open and Bruce had fallen in and couldn’t get out. He was swimming out of his depth and tiring quickly – he was getting old and had poor eyesight, which didn’t help. Luckily, my daughter is a veterinary nurse and she quickly pulled him out and put him in a warm shower. Rhubarb had saved his life.

Thankfully, Bruce suffered no long term consequences from his adventure and lived until he was 13. Rhubarb has continued to be a wonderful friend and constant companion to us all since. He loves playing with his toys and running around the estuary beach near our home. He will always be our little hero.

He’s on the far right in the photo, with his mum on the left and ‘Uncle Bruce’ in the middle.