Norma and her dog Cara don’t let anything stop them from enjoying all that life has to offer.

Cara might be an elderly lady, but she still likes to play, especially with a tennis ball or two. Though, now if you throw one for her to chase, she’ll give you a look that says ‘I am 11 you know!’.

She enjoys a good cuddle and during these unsettled and sometimes lonely times, has been a much-needed companion. Cara also has free run of the house. She sleeps wherever she wants, sometimes being generous enough to allow me to share the bed or the sofa with her!

She can be vocal enough to get her point across!

As I live alone, her company is both a source of comfort and a welcome distraction. Her conversation skills may be lacking but believe me when I say she can be vocal enough to get her point across!

In short, I would not be without her. Even on those dark, wet and windy days when non-dog owners are cuddled up on their sofas, this old lady (I’m 77 years old) is glad to toddle down the road with her fellow old girl.

Chloe went to the pub one night and came home with a dog – all because she couldn’t stand watching Bailey suffer at the hands of her former owner

I met Bailey in the local pub when she was brought in by her previous owner. She was a five-month-old purebred Labrador, but she looked about 12 weeks old. She was skin and bone and she looked exhausted. I offered her some chips from my plate and a drink of my water, but her owner told me not to feed her. He said she’d had her weekly feed as she poops in the house otherwise.

She has made me a dog person

Bailey kept coming back to me while we were in the pub. I think she saw me as her safety net. The owner kept grabbing her by her scruff and dragging her back to him, but she kept wanting to cuddle up to me.

I offered to buy her from him as he had mentioned he works 12-hour days and leaves her all day. I bought her then and there, and she came home with me that evening. She’s been mine ever since and she’s made mine and my partner’s lives wonderful.

She’s got such a wicked personality in comparison to the exhausted, malnourished puppy we met in the pub. She’s insanely clever and LOVES eating squares of cheese! She has made me a dog person and I would never be without her. I’m so thankful I went for a drink that night.

Kirsty didn’t anticipate how much work it would be to take care of Buster – but more importantly, she could never have dreamed of the positive influence he would bring into her life.

We got Buster from a breeder when he was just nine months old. The breeder didn’t warn us of how nervous Buster gets around new dogs and new situations. Being the first time I have looked after a dog on my own this was quite overwhelming but I didn’t want to give up on Buster as he has such a kind heart and so much love to give. He just needed the right guidance in certain situations.

Since we adopted Buster we have worked so hard with him and a trainer to start to get him more confident in these situations. I expected to work hard and I expected there to be highs and lows – but what I never expected was how much I would learn from Buster.

Has taught me patience and perseverance

Buster has taught me patience and perseverance in his training. He has taught me to accept flaws and love unconditionally. Most importantly, he has taught me to take everything one step at a time and to be happy and celebrate the small accomplishments.

Busters favourite thing to do is to play fetch and train with his toys. He is very toy-motivated and will do pretty much anything for a tennis ball! When he’s is at home, he spends his days sitting at the window watching the squirrels or on his back snoozing on the sofa. He absolutely loves human attention and is a sucker for a belly rub!

Buster really is a special dog. He was much more than I bargained for and requires lots of work, but I don’t think I could imagine a world without him anymore. We tackle problems together, and it’s so rewarding watching him overcome his fears.

Iggy’s love of fun and games makes every day a joy for Thomas’s family

Iggy is a Beagle cross who loves other dogs but can be a little shy with new people. She’s a typical beagle, mischievous and noisy – if you talk to Iggy she talks back. Her favourite pastimes are sniffing, digging, zoomies, playing ball, smothering her cat brother with kisses and stealing anything that will fit in her mouth and running away as fast as she can.

Iggy adores her family and squeals with joy whenever any of us come home, even if we’ve only been gone for five minutes. She can’t just wag her tail, she wags with her whole body. Iggy is very goofy, playful and always on the go, but she also appreciates a good nap with her blanket. It’s amazing how she can go from flat out galloping to fast asleep in the blink of an eye.

Iggy is the baby of our family and her big doughy puppy dog eyes and huge floppy ears make it impossible to be annoyed with her even when she’s being cheeky. To us Iggy is perfect and we love her very much flaws and all.

She can’t just wag her tail, she wags with her whole body

Coco proved the perfect addition to Joanne’s family, especially for her son James

Coco was bought for my son James. James was an only child and Coco soon became his best friend. James looked after Coco and walked her everyday (I know kids always say they will then lose interest but James never did).

James really came out of his shell since getting Coco and became more confident. James started joining after school clubs and joined the Sea Cadets, and when he left school he joined the Royal Navy and is a serving sailor who has just been deployed for his first Christmas away.

Coco’s tail never stops wagging

Coco misses him very much when he goes, and needs lots of TLC. When James is home on leave they still share that special bond and Coco’s tail never stops wagging. Coco gave James the confidence to start to do things; he realised that he could take care of a dog and therefore he could do things he would never have tried.

For all Coco loves rolling in smelly things, barks at the wind and farts a lot, she is a big part of our family and helped to shape my sons teenage and early adult years.

Joanna’s three furry friends proved the perfect tonic during a long rehabilitation from injury

Billy is 6, Henry is 1 and Percy is 9 months. My dogs are the best, as are everyone's to their families, but they really proved themselves this last year. In September I fell off my horse and broke my back, resulting in bed and sofa rest for 6 weeks and then some movement.

They snuggled in closer to comfort me

I am a very active person. I love walking the dogs and being at the yard with the horses and riding. During my 'cage rest' period, my dogs would keep me entertained. They would bring me toys – I'm sure for their benefit rather than mine – to play with, they would snuggle with me and they would guard me and growl at me if I tried to move. It was as if they knew I wasn't allowed to. If I moved they moved.

If I cried when the pain got too much, they snuggled in closer to comfort me. When I was allowed to start my rehab and walking, taking the dogs out was part of that, they were as good as gold, it was like they knew. They didn't mind the fact that I could only go a few steps each day, but always had a wag and never got stroppy. The dogs helped me through a really tough time and helped me mentally to overcome the trauma I was going through.