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Great
British Dogs

Meet Bourneville

Tihany’s four-legged companion and best friend, Bourneville, is always around to make her smile

Bourneville is the best thing to ever happen to me. Every morning when I’m baking, he sits patiently waiting for a crumb to fall or for me to give him my leftover ingredients. He’s so funny and very clumsy, and he’s always tripping over his own paws.

He’s so funny and very clumsy

He considers every dog he meets his friend, no matter who they are. Not only is Bourneville the most affectionate dog there is, but he’s also stunning, thanks to his beautiful brown fur. We named him after chocolateof the same colour!


Meet Spirit

With Spirit by her side, Joleen can live life to the full and make the most of every day

Spirit came to me as a rescue dog. She was very troubled with behavioural issues, but that hasn’t stopped her from massively improving my life for the better.

I have suffered with depression, anxiety and panic attacks, but training and rehabilitating Spirit has given me something to focus on. It’s forced me to get up every morning on days when I’ve wanted to stay in bed and hide from the world. Together, we have built up a successful dog walking business and now I’ve gained qualifications, I can even help other people with their dogs.

Rehabilitating Spirit has given me something to focus on

As Spirit is getting older and her mobility is failing, we are now doing Mantrailing, which involves training dogs to find missing people. She’s shown me such love and devotion over the years,and I’d be lost without her.


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Meet Emily

Emily overcame a traumatic start in life to find the perfect home with Abby and her husband

Emily is a very affectionate little soul, which is quite remarkable considering how she started life. She was found left for dead in the middle of nowhere and was malnourished to a tiny 10kg. With thanks to the RSPCA, she got to a proper weight for a lurcher and now she gets spoilt rotten at home!

Her faith in humanity, after everything she has been through, gives me hope

Her faith in humanity, after everything she has been through, gives me hope. I'll never get tired of her pretty little face or her chaotic whippet-sized zoomies around the garden. She's helped me make human friends and made my husband and I more active. Not to mention, she convinced us to rescue another mistreated lurcher!


Meet Sky

Having finally recovered from her traumatic start in life, Sky is living happily ever after as part of Sue’s family

Sky came to us in June 2021. She was rescued from a shelter in Romania. As a tiny puppy, she had suffered a burn to her side and a broken back, so she was paralysed when she was found in a kill shelter. Sky was rescued by a lovely lady who ran a private shelter. She nursed her and cared for her, and gradually her mobility began to improve. We knew Sky was going to be a cheeky girl as she was housed with a litter of very young puppies in the shelter, and despite her problems, she decided she preferred their bed to her own. So, she pushed them out and moved herself in!

Sky arrived with her brother, Albert, after a two-day journey by land, and they were both incredibly frightened and anxious. But she’s developed good mobility over the last year and her confidence has improved alongside her health. Her zoomies are wonderful and so energetic, considering how she was when she first came home. She is bigger than Albert and will push him over if he has something she wants! She also takes over his bed and will eat his breakfast if she gets the chance. But Albert doesn't mind, and we make sure he doesn't miss out.

We take life at her pace

Sky loves lamb spaghetti and real meat treats best of all. She’s a very quick learner, and she knows how to catch a treat or tap with her foot. If she gets hold of a squeaky toy, she will squeak it a couple of times by jumping on it with her front feet and then howl like a wolf! She also loves hugs and sitting next to us.

We take life at Sky's pace, slowly enough to keep her safe and secure. With some brilliant expert help, she’s adapted to life with us and is a wonderful, sweet, sensitive addition to our family. We can't imagine life without Sky and Albert.


Meet Bernie

Yvonne decided to adopt Bernie after losing her dog, and he’s been making her smile ever since.

Bernie is my fur baby bundle of joy. I lost my dog Lucky who I had for ten years very suddenly, and I swore never to get another dog as the pain losing them is horrendous. But after four months of coming home to an empty house, I decided to adopt.

That’s when I got Bernie and I’m so glad I did. He makes me laugh and cry. We have cuddles and he sleeps by my side, he snores and belches very loudly after every meal or treat! He loves his tennis ball – I sometimes have to throw it in the house for him.

Every dog deserves to be loved

My friend calls him Lamb Chops because he looks like one! He jumps very high when he wants your attention or to go for walk. I just love him to bits as he's helped me through some really bad times. In summer or when weather’s fine, there’s a group of us with dogs and he loves playing with all his friends. It makes you smile knowing they are happy. Every dog deserves to be loved.


Meet Roux

It was Samantha’s hikes with her cocker spaniel Roux that inspired her to start her own online walking group for solo hikers

Roux is a very special cocker spaniel – he inspired me to get hiking, which has resulted in one of the biggest walking groups in the Peak District.

Having always been a dog lover, I bought Roux with the intention of learning agility as I wanted an active dog that would love the challenge. Sadly, he suffered an injury at three years old that ended our agility dreams, but I was determined to find another job for him.

I started hiking with Roux and my ex-partner and I realised that we had found our calling. Roux loved hopping up and posing on any rock that we would walk past, and I had finally found something that allowed us to spend real quality time together.

When my ex and I separated, I was heartbroken, but I was determined to keep up hiking with Roux. We walked all over the Peak District. But, as a single woman, I did worry about safety and I realised there must be others in a similar position.

He’s been by my side every step of the way

So in March 2020, I started ‘Walking the Peak District’ – a Facebook group to ensure no one ever has to walk alone if they don’t want to. And of course, Roux has been by my side every step of the way. We could explore safely, and of course dogs were more than welcome!

Fast forward two years and Roux and I still hike most weekends. He’s eight now and can’t cover the mileage he used to, but he still hops onto every rock we walk past!

Our group, now called PeaksNPubs, has 3,600 members. It has introduced hundreds of people to walking in the Peak District and taught over 50 people to navigate safely in the hills. I’ve also been voted into the BMC Peak Area committee and I’ve got a dream of training a Search and Rescue dog.

I hope this will be Roux’s legacy. He’s such a loyal dog and he never leaves my side. We know each other’s thoughts, he never lets me down and so many people have been helped because of him. It all started with Roux.


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