Ceridwen has a few cheeky little quirks, but Michael and his partner love her unconditionally

Ceridwen is the goodest of girls with just a hint of naughty pickle. She will greet you at the door with a massive smile and boundless energy.

She has no respect for personal space

Her favourite pastime is zoomies on long walks, disappearing off into the long grass, and scaring her mummy when she decides to 'not hear' her recall whistle. At home in the evenings, she has no respect for personal space. She just wants snuggles before bed and will push her sister out of the way as required.

Ceridwen is a sensitive soul though, so she understands when you've had a bad day and will give boundless kisses until you smile – and then take her for more zoomies.

After years of living as a stray in Cyprus, Zola has finally found her forever home with Annabel, and now she’s blossoming into the dog she was always meant to be

I adopted Zola, a German Shorthaired Pointer, on 2nd May this year. She was found as a stray in Cyprus, rescued and looked after in a shelter for about two months until she was well enough to travel to the UK.

She has settled really well in the time she has been here, and I have just started very basic training with her as she was completely untrained. She has definitely come out of her shy, anxious shell and is showing her cheeky, funny, very affectionate character. She is a puppy in a 9-year-old body as she's probably never enjoyed a puppyhood before.

Adopting a neglected, abandoned dog is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done

She loves anything fluffy, especially if she's not supposed to have it, like my slippers and the dog coats I’m knitting for rescue shelters, for example. She pokes her nose in any open drawer or cupboard and loves to grab and run – she is particularly drawn to silicone baking containers for some bizarre reason.

Zola is starting to bond with our other two adopted German Shorthaired Pointers, 9-year-old Baxter and 12-year-old Danny, who’s also a Cyprus rescue. She loves food, food and more food, playing with toys, stealing Danny's tennis balls and doing anything naughty.

She makes me laugh every day and drives me demented from running around saving items from being chewed, but gives me so much love in return. Adopting a neglected, abandoned dog and giving them a loving forever home is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done, and seeing them blossom into the dogs they should have always been is priceless.

Jennifer’s dog Drax may be clumsy, but that just makes him all the more adorable

We think our dog Drax may actually be a small bear. He’s huge, huggable and absolutely ridiculous. We rescued him from being put to sleep just two days before Christmas, and it’s still impossible to believe no one wanted him!

He’s actually the clumsiest animal

Drax look majestic and is very handsome, but he’s also extremely clumsy. He knocks over pretty much anything in his path, will break through closed doors if you shut him in a room even for just a minute, and always shouts at you if he doesn’t agree with what you’re doing. But Drax is also the most loveable dog I’ve ever met – and that’s saying something, because as fosterers, we’ve encountered a lot.

We may have rescued Drax, but really, I think he rescued us more.

Herbie brings endless love and laughter into Emily’s life

Herbie is a rescue from Beagle Welfare. We adopted him in June 2019 to keep our bereaved dog company. He immediately settled in, though I think he was a bit surprised at how long our walks usually last!

He seems glad to be a part of our household, and we’re so happy to have him. Herbie is adorable and loves everything and everyone. He enjoys stealing dropped items from the floor and will do anything for food. We started dog training classes with him last year, but we had to begin at puppy level. We haven’t made much progress – he’s so cheeky and makes such a spectacle of himself every time, but I think he just loves to be the class clown.

I think he just loves to be the class clown

When he sees other dogs, he likes to play hide and seek, except he doesn’t hide, he just lies down until they come up to him. He won’t move until they do, and we’ve had so many awkward encounters where we’ve had to explain to strangers that Herbie’s waiting for their dog to say hello.

Herbie deserved to be part of a family, and now he is living his best life. We are so grateful for him and the way he’s brightened our world.

Life hasn’t been kind to Laura for the past few years, but Pippa has always given her a reason to keep going

Pippa entered our lives, like a hurricane, in June 2021. We had all had our lives tipped upside down by Covid, and to top it all off, my partner Pete was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This was an enormous shock, as he had never had anything more than a mild cold in our 21 years together.

We’d recently heard about a five-month-old Patterdale Jack Russell who had been purchased by a family for their 17-year-old son during lockdown. Unfortunately, after six weeks or so, the son had completely lost interest in her, and she needed a new home. We hadn't been looking for a new best friend at the time, as we’d lost our elderly Parsons Jack Russell the year before. And what with Pete’s diagnosis, and me being on the waiting list for a new knee, we really weren't in the best place to take on a very lively young dog.

I am convinced this little doggy was sent to us from heaven

We discussed all the pros and all the cons and thought to ourselves ‘surely we can’t be this daft?!’ But we eventually decided that life is too short, and we needed someone to make us laugh, comfort us when we needed a cuddle and help us to face the world every day. Boy, oh boy, did we find the right medicine. Pippa is the funniest, cheekiest, most adorable, best friend we could ever have hoped for. Pete passed away five months ago, and I am convinced this little doggy was sent to us from heaven. She has saved my life. She’s my rock and my reason to carry on.

Right now, as I tell you my little story, I am in a hospital bed with my brand-new knee, missing Pippa very much. I’m missing the way she sits across my chest so she can feel my heartbeat, and the way she uses hypnotherapy when she thinks she deserves a treat. She won't be missing me right now though, as she’s having an amazing, thoroughly deserved holiday on the beach. She’ll be running through the woods, swimming in the river and probably getting covered in mud. And we’ll be doing all those things together from here on in, for many years to come.

After a particularly tough start, Riley is now living his best life as the newest member of Rachel’s family

My dog Riley has an epic tale to tell. He was rescued as a puppy when he was found running through the flames of wildfires in Cyprus. He then spent almost a year in kennels before being fostered by a couple and their two dogs. That’s when we found their adoption post on Facebook and began the process.

We’ll keep on loving him for the rest of his life

This dog has been through so much and yet he is truly amazing. We have had him three weeks and we’ve already made so many memories. He gets up every morning and is such a happy boy. He doesn't let his past affect him. He just keeps moving forward.

We love him so much already and have taken him for lots of walks, enjoyed fun times at the agility park and much more. He doesn't always know how to say hello without barking and lunging but is getting better when meeting new dogs. There’s no aggression. He's just full of love and we’ll keep on loving him for the rest of his life.