Bear has taught his owner Trupti how to appreciate life’s simple pleasures

Bear was adopted in 2020 and became my ray of hope during the pandemic.

He’s my inspiration

He’s my inspiration for finding joy in the little things in life, too. For example, he loves rolling in freshly cut grass, jumping in puddles, running into the waves, soaking up the sun, digging holes and burying his favourite toys before forgetting about them.

He’s given me new meaning to the phrase ‘there’s nothing like the present’.

Four years after their first meeting, Keiba finally managed to rescue Dovah from her negligent owner and welcome her into the family

Dovah inspires me to live every day to its fullest. When she was six, I was asked to foster her for one month by her current owner who was going out of the country to study. I met Dovah once and her absolute love for life and instant desire to sit on my lap made me happily agree to help out.

One month quickly turned into six with little to no contact from her owner. By this point, myself and the cats living in the house had bonded deeply with Dovah. We were offered the chance to adopt her by the uninterested owner and, after we ecstatically agreed, the owner went back on her word and came and collected our sweet Dovah. She lived in a flat and Dovah was left for long hours daily, or sent to different dog sitters.

Dovah inspires me to live every day to its fullest

Eventually, after two years, I got the message I had always hoped for – Dovah was finally being rehomed. Right away I went to get her. By this time, we also had a second dog called Kleo. Although the cats came running to Dovah as soon as they saw her, she had returned to us with a whole host of behavioural issues. Adding to that, Kleo was in pain while waiting for surgery on her cruciate ligaments. Unfortunately, the girls would fight and we all had to work very hard to make things work out.

Fast forward to just days before Dovah’s 10th birthday and, after several surgeries for mammary cancer, she is fully bonded with Kleo in her forever home.

Despite this journey, every day Dovah gets up full of life. She loves harder, making you dedicate time in your day to cuddles and opening your heart to her. She runs out on the hill with more love for the outdoors than any dog or person I have ever met. She inspires me to live in the moment and keep my chin up.

Twig never leaves Lotte’s side and has even helped her reconnect with her nan, who’s suffering from the debilitating effects of dementia

Last year, my nan’s dementia got a lot worse, and I felt like I had lost her behind the fog and confusion of the disease. She no longer remembered my name, she was scared and erratic and it was impossible to have a conversation with her.

Then I took Twig to see her. My nan’s face lit up as Twig bounded towards her, she opened her arms and yelled ‘TWIG!’ She remembered her! We could talk about Twig and stroke her together and it calmed and grounded my nan. Twig was like a portal, bringing a little fragment of my nan back to me.

Twig is the kindest and most warm-hearted dog I have ever met

Twig has been my rock, best friend and soulmate since I collected her from a little farm in Wales two years ago. We are inseparable. She comes out with the horses to gallop on the beach, we go on adventures up mountains, and she even comes to work with me at the vets. She’s not only the face of the practice (her photos are literally all over the walls!), but also a calm and comforting presence for other dogs who are in for surgery.

She has also helped raise an abandoned kitten that was brought into the vets close to death. Twig kept her warm and brought her back to life. It was adorable to see, you can’t make this stuff up!

Twig is the kindest and most warm-hearted dog I have ever met. She is also a true character and people just fall in love with her. When I am sad or anxious, she distracts and comforts me. She always knows what to do to.

And talk about a poser! If a camera comes out, Twig understands the assignment. But then again, it would be a crime for her not to share her beauty with the world!

Sarah showed Paddy some kindness, and now he’s a treasured member of her family

Paddy arrived at the rescue centre where I volunteered in November 2009. He was so terrified that he was put straight into a quiet area, where I sat with him. I took him home as a foster dog, and before long, he had become a permanent member of my family.

We had to Paddy-proof the house

He is quite a character. He counter-surfed until we trained him not to, still raids the bin if he gets chance, he can open doors and also jumps very high. We had to Paddy-proof the house to make sure he was safe!

My dog has helped me through some really tough times over the years. He’s so loving once you earn his trust, and he adores children. Paddy is best friends with our cats and likes to help other timid animals to come out of their shell. He also works to raise awareness about Lurchers and show what fabulous pets they can be with the right care and attention.

Orla loves to spoil her two pups Paloma and Kyuss, who enjoy going on long walks with her – even though they have tiny legs!

Our little troublemakers are a pair of long-haired mini dachshunds, who turned our world upside down when they joined us as pups back in 2017.

There are so many funny things that they do, and even on a down day they make us smile. Paloma’s cutest habit is that every night after dinner, she waits for her dad to lie on the floor so she can rest on him for neck kisses. The truth is that everything she does makes us smile.

They have such short legs!

In 2018, she was diagnosed with lymphoma, and we chose to treat her with chemo as she is so young and has so much fight in her. We needed to give it a shot. Almost 18 months on and she is still beating cancer. Everything she does is special to us – as you can imagine she is so spoiled, even more than she was before she got ill!

Kyuss is a food obsessed mummy’s boy. We know it’s very naughty but his endless tricks to get more treats makes us laugh. We love to take them both out on long walks, which I’m not sure we’d do without them. The longest walk we have done is 10 miles – not bad considering they have such short legs! They love our country walks and always stay close by, not down to good training but because they’re total wimps!

Kyuss and Paloma bring so much joy into our home – or, their home rather, because let’s face it, we’re just here to provide treats and kisses!

Bear knows how to make a splash, much to owner Michelle’s amusement!

Bear is our chocolate Labrador, who is such a joy! He has been by my sidea lot this past year and lay quietly with me the whole time I was ill.

He’s a very active dog and is always chasing a ball around. One of his favourite games is to go upstairs and drop his ball, then run back down to chase it. Bear has so many funny quirks, like the way he barks at any animal on the television.

It’s a great adventure for him

His favourite place is our local countryside park. It’s a great adventure for him as he loves to jump into the water. Bear can’t even go past a big puddle without splashing around in it. His latest hilarious habit is pawing at his water bowl until it spills, then lying on the wet floor!