Ursula’s love for her dog Coco knows no bounds, and over the years, they’ve been a huge support to one another

We rehomed Coco when she was only 15 weeks old. At the time, she was extremely fearful and was in a bad way behaviourally.

Within a few weeks however, she started to trust us and became very in tune with my illness – lying beside me and alerting my husband whenever I was having an episode.

She’s my unofficial therapy dog

Now, six years later, I can groom her, clip her claws and clean her ears and eyes. She trusts me when we visit the vets, which used to be traumatic for her. She loves her food and snuggles and despite still having some fear within her, she’s my unofficial therapy dog.

I love her to the moon and back.

Keeva has helped her owner Lyndsey to spend more quality time with her son

We got Keeva in November after a very tough few months in lockdown. Both my son and I suffer from heart problems, and Keeva really helped us to stay positive during the uncertainty of last year.

Keeva has really helped us to stay positive

Dogs were already a part of our family, as we have two Chihuahuas as well as Keeva. We adore them but they’re getting old and can’t walk far anymore. That just makes training Keeva the puppy all the more exciting. Taking her out for fresh air has kept us going and brought us closer together, and we have so many funny stories we can’t wait to share with our wider family when we can see them again.

Keeva is an Irish name which means bold and beautiful. It reminds me of my other son and his young family. They live in Ireland, so I haven’t seen them in a while, but they’re always in my thoughts.

Lisa’s dog Harry knows exactly what he wants – and lucky for him, he always gets it!

Our dog is a two-year-old Cocker Spaniel called Harry. He loves to be pampered, and will happily sit and let you groom him for hours at a time!

Harry is the first dog we’ve had in our family. We got him after my gran died, hoping that he would be a positive presence in our lives and give us something to focus on – and that’s exactly what he’s done. He keeps my mum company while we’re all at work, and is always so fun to be around. He really has transformed our lives.

He loves to be pampered

Despite being generally very easygoing, he can get stroppy when he wants to, and enjoys barking at strangers as they pass the house. I’m pretty sure he thinks it’s his castle, and that he’s protecting us! He has lots of little quirks, like running around in circles whenever someone he loves comes to the door, or bringing us treats – usually a dog biscuit – when we’ve been away for a while.

Harry loves to sleep on my parents’ bed, and even has his own spot on the sofa. He truly is our pampered pooch, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Monty loves going for a dip in any stream, lake or canal he can find. Unsurprisingly, his life with Christine is going swimmingly!

I first fell in love with Monty when I saw his photo on a Labrador rescue site. By the time I had registered with them, he had been taken. To my amazement, he was back two weeks later as the lady that had taken him couldn’t cope. The following day I was off to collect him.

I took him to a field to do recall training and soon learned that he loves water! He sniffed out that there was water nearby and took off. The lead went through my hands like butter. He went swimming in the lake with all the ducks, and I ended up in the hospital with second-degree burns. He’s a typical teenager but I still love him!

He’s a typical teenager but I still love him

We couldn’t go past any stream, river or canal as he would want to be in it – and usually was. So, I took him to the local hydro pool for dogs. He loves it and now goes once a month. He cannot wait to be in the pool.

He is a retriever by name and by nature. If it’s on the floor, he will bring it to you, whether you want it or not. If he’s bored, he will fetch you anything he can find, and then run around the living room with it.

He is also a Pets As Therapy (PAT) dog, so he visits our local hospital, as well as one in Leeds. They all love him, have his photo on the walls, and know when he will be coming to their ward. We walk into our local hospital and everyone seems to know him. You can be walking down a corridor and hear someone say “Look, Monty is coming”.

With a bit of time and trust, Woody gradually helped Rachael’s daughter overcome her debilitating fear of dogs

My daughter Adelaide, who’s now 12, has had a fear of dogs for as long as I can remember. She would cross the road if a dog came her way and she started to isolate herself from her peers. Her best friends all had dogs, meaning she missed out on play dates and parties due to her fear.

Woody taught her that dogs are kind and can become your best friend

The final straw was when she ran into the road to avoid a dog in her path. As parents, we were desperate to help her and sought support from our GP. Adelaide was referred to a local mental health specialist and received 1:1 support. Later we also tried hypnotherapy in desperation. Nothing worked, until Woody.

We bit the bullet and made the decision to get a puppy, hoping he may be the answer to our prayers. We were right! It took time and trust, but they are now the best of friends, and her phobia is a thing of the past. Woody taught her that dogs are kind and can become your best friend. Now they’re Adelaide and Woody – best friends in the world!

Bibi brings endless joy to Lisa’s life, and she’s also been great at helping her son with his epilepsy

Bibi is an absolute joy! She is a rescue pooch from Bulgaria, and we’ve had her for five years now. She was found on the streets with seven other pups. We saw her and wanted to give her the life she deserves.

She’s a beautiful angel that’s been sent from heaven

She’s very shy but since we’ve had our new puppy Bonnie she’s really come out of her shell. When she first arrived, she’d never seen traffic, a TV or dog toys before – everything was new to her.

My son was diagnosed with epilepsy five years ago and she always knew when he was going to have a seizure. While he was having one, she would lay by his bedroom door and bark and then lie on him. Honestly, she’s a beautiful angel that’s been sent from heaven. She’s gorgeous inside and out. We spoil her so much and she deserves it.