Bella is a huge support for Sarah, whether she’s helping her care for her mum or getting her through the loss of her other dog, Oscar

Bella joined our family in October 2017. It took her nearly a year to fully settle, but she quickly became best friends with our other two dogs, Paddy and Oscar.

She’s very loving and has been my rock through some hard times. I care for my mum, who lives with dementia, and Bella is very patient and loving with her. She’s also very gentle with young children and loves to greet them and get some fuss. She even loves making friends with cats.

She’s been my rock through some hard times

Bella seems to sense when I am feeling low, because she stays close and almost cuddles me! We lost Oscar last year to osteosarcoma and she was very loving during that time. She often went to the tree that Oscar used to like sitting under. I would be lost without her and Paddy.

Daisy has given her owner Bridget a new lease of life, and even helped her to make a new friend or two

Daisy came to us when we were just retired. We used to have a dog when our children were small and I was at home with them, so we knew how much joy they could bring to our lives.

Taking Daisy out for walks has helped us to meet lots of new people. She gets walked twice daily, which forces us to keep active and enjoy some fresh air every day, even when it’s cold and wet.

Helped us to meet lots of new people

Now our grandchildren are going to universities across the country and our children are busy working, we don’t see so much of them. Daisy fills this void and gives us lots of cuddles and love. She loves riding in cars, especially our Morris 1000! She also makes us laugh endlessly. It’s hard to imagine how we managed for all those years without a dog.

Georgina’s dog Sprocket has oodles of energy, and that’s exactly why she loves him so much

Sprocket is the best thing to ever have happened to our family. His endearing quirks never fail to put a smile on our faces. For instance, he always runs with his legs so straight he looks like a cartoon, and in the evening, he huffs and puffs very loudly before dramatically opening his pen, just to let us know he wants to go to bed.

He can sometimes be a bit of a diva

He’s a tiny bundle of energy and always ready to play. I wouldn’t say he’s spoilt, but he is well-loved and so always enjoys – and expects – a cuddle or two in our bed. He can sometimes be bit of a diva, and we often find ourselves having to pause the TV because he’s making a racket by digging around or barking because he wants to go out.

None of this really matters though, because our little pup is such a sweetheart. We love him for all of his funny habits and his adorable personality.

Darcy’s zest for life has helped Kiri to get back on her feet and feel her best again

When we first got Darcy, my family was in turmoil. My partner and I had both been made redundant and I was pregnant with our son. It felt as though we had lost everything, and I was feeling very low. Things got so bad that I even stopped leaving the house, and experienced high stress levels nearly every day.

She instantly became his loyal protector

With the very last of my redundancy pay, we decided to get Darcy – and that was the best decision we could have made. Looking after Darcy gave me the boost I truly needed to feel like myself again. She had to be taken for lots of walks, which helped me to leave the house for fresh air regularly. Looking after her also meant I had a loving companion to keep me company when my husband was out.

Darcy really did pull me out of my darkest hour, and when our son was born, she instantly became his loyal protector. Many said we were insane to have a dog and a baby together, but the pair of them have grown up with each other (they’re only six months apart in age) and have formed the strongest bond.

Now we’re in a better place, we’re able to spoil Darcy with everything she deserves – which is the world!

Blaze the bulldog was exactly what Chloe and her family needed after the loss of their previous dog

Blaze is a one-year-old Olde Tyme English bulldog. He’s such a funny character and brings joy to the entire family. When we first got him, he couldn't walk and had no use of his back legs so, once he had the all-clear from the vets that it wasn't neurological, we had to teach him to walk.

Despite still having weakness in his legs, Blaze bombs around the house, constantly getting into mischief. He loves to steal socks and shoes, or anything he's not meant to have and hide behind the couch with it. He’s also friendly with our elderly hamster.

He bombs around the house, constantly getting into mischief

Blaze comes everywhere with us, and we’ve recently come back from Crail, Scotland where he was a fan favourite. He comes swimming with us down the beach, and even has doggy swimming lessons.

After we lost our old dog, Bruno, at the age of 13, our lives felt empty without a dog and the house felt quiet. We were all mourning the loss of our best friend. Blaze has definitely filled a hole in our hearts – and our beds. He loves to have a good snooze!

Victoria gave Ozzy a new home last year, and he’s making each and every day count

Ozzy was surrendered to the vet practice I worked in at 10 months old and needed to be given a second chance. I was hoping to get my first dog since moving out of my family home in summer 2023, but I agreed to take Ozzy on in August 2022 (a year earlier!) and have never looked back.

He is the most intelligent (although he does very often fall off the bed in the middle of the night!), friendly and loving dog I have ever met. He loves coming with me to look after my horse every morning and evening, goes on long walks to lots of different places, and he even went stand up paddle boarding with me the first weekend I had him.

His favourite place to go is the beach, he LOVES going for a swim, a long walk and then finishing with a doggy ice cream. His equal favourite place is in the bed, and at 3am every morning he creeps up from the end of the bed and cuddles up in between me and his dad underneath the duvet. I am new to the county I currently live in, so it has been great fun exploring the countryside with Oz by my side. Our little rescue pup has given us endless fun and I can’t wait for the years ahead with him.

He even went stand up paddle boarding with me the first weekend I had him