Daisy has inspired Justine with her gentle, considerate and delightful nature

Daisy came into my life when she was 14 months old. My partner and I bought her from a family that hadn't treated her well. She was extremely nervous, but with a lot of love and patience, she blossomed into a confident, friendly, beautiful Jack Russell.

Eight months later, I went into A&E. It turned out that I had sepsis and was put into an induced coma. I was in intensive care for two months. Then, three months later, I came home.

Daisy and I needed to bond again but I was still very ill, so she couldn't sit on my knee or come too close to me anymore.

Daisy was so patient throughout it all. No one needed to tell her to what to do, she simply kept her space until I called her. When the nurses came over, she’d quietly sit in the other room – bless her!

Her lovely ways kept me alive

My partner became my carer, as well as Daisy's only walker. During this time, I was depressed and house bound, but she slept with me when I was poorly and gave me gentle kisses to cheer me up. Her lovely ways kept me alive when I wanted to end it all.

I now live on my own and she’s still a beautiful, loving, caring girl. I'm just starting to walk her again (with the help of my walker) and she’s learned how to walk beside me without ever running away.

Daisy loves it when I sing her a lullaby and she always looks so content when I tell her how pretty she is. She watches birds with amazement and her tail looks like a helicopter when she wants a treat. She loves walking with her doggy friends, and loves her own company, too.

My dear Daisy is a wonderful soul. She has all of my heart, and I thank my lucky stars that she’s in my world.

Lola has helped her owner Gemma to appreciate the simple things in life again

I have struggled with poor mental health, but Lola has been my saviour and my reason to get better. She needed me when I didn’t need myself.

Lola is an intelligent, energetic and entertaining pooch. She loves long walks and getting super muddy, but I don’t mind as she’s great company and has helped me forget about the world this last year. When out and about she’s a whirling dervish but always comes back and taps her nose on my hand when called. She loves drinking fresh water, so much so that she always lies down in the puddle or pond in order to lap it all up!

Lola has been my saviour

One of her favourite things to do is to sniff out a tennis ball in the long, wild meadows. She also loves being out in the garden with her best friend,our cat Shadow. They frolic and play together, though the cat definitely has the upper hand with his climbing prowess.

When Lola gets really excited, she runs around the fire pit and randomly digs up the ground. Thankfully, the garden is a wildlife friendly area, so wedon’t mind it getting ripped up a bit in the name of fun. If she’s tired, she loves a good nap and curls herself up into some strange positions, sleeping around our necks and against the back of the sofa.

Lola’s needs aren’t that different from my own. Long walks on wet and rainy days, exploring, observing and snuggling have helped us both to getthrough this last year.

Lynn might be retired, but with naughty little Alfie to keep her company, her life is anything but quiet!

We got Alfie when he was just eight weeks old, just after I had retired. I have rheumatoid arthritis and need to keep myself mobile – and Alfie is just what I need, providing me with reason to get out and walk every day.

He can be very naughty

He is physically and mentally a force of nature, but he is such amazing company and we love him dearly. He can be very naughty – he knows what he shouldn’t do but likes to do it anyway! He always makes up for it though, by jumping up and giving us kisses.

Loving, affectionate and bursting with boundless joy, Sylvie couldn’t be more adored by her owner Jennifer

Our Sylvie is a Dalmatian cross Collie which means she’s all energy, stamina and chaos, but she’s our little cuddle bug, too!

She takes very good care of us humans and is an unofficial wellbeing officer when we’re working from home. If work ever leaves us feeling stressed, she climbs up onto our laps and won’t move until we’ve had a lovely de-stressing cuddle (and face lick).

We’re very lucky to have such a wonderful dog in our lives

She’s also learning DIY support, meaning she’s getting quite good at taking the tools away (now we’re just working on bringing them back!).

Her favourite games are hide and seek, chasing a ball and of course, anything that involves tearing up paper.

Sylvie makes every day brighter and we wouldn’t be without our sock-stealing, cheese-loving friend. We’re very lucky to have such a wonderful dog in our lives.

London the dog was the most meaningful gift Verity could have ever received, and she is forever grateful for him

My mum bought London for me in the summer of 2017. I went all the way to Germany to collect him. She was so happy with our new puppy – he was sweet and gentle with all our other dogs. Mum knew that I would enjoy showing him off at dogs shows, talking him for long walks and grooming him.

She also knew that she wouldn’t be with me for much longer. By November, she had passed and I was devastated. But having London gave me the strength to carry on. Just as she’d hoped, I went out for walks and took him to dog shows – he gave me a reason to keep going, day in, day out.

Gave me the strength to carry on

London was patient with my tears, staying by my side throughout everything. Now, slowly and gently, he guides me through life. From the moment I get up in the morning to the moment I arrive home from work, he’s always there for me. Recently, he became a father to a wonderful puppy called Aster, who has been like a shining light of hope for the whole family this year.

My dog London truly is the gift that keeps on giving. He enhances my existence every day, and I couldn’t be without him.

Roscoe the hilarious dog is a cherished member of Katrina’s family

We’ve had Roscoe since he was 10 weeks old. He is a bundle of fun and trouble all rolled into one! He’s chewed pretty much everything in my house, but every time I look into his big, brown eyes I can’t stay angry for long.

A bundle of fun and trouble all rolled into one

Throughout lockdown he has kept our family entertained by learning new tricks and just being his happy self. If you’re sad, he comes over and sits on your lap to cheer you up, even though he’s a huge Labrador!

Roscoe is a ball of energy and jumps from the chair to the sofa doing zoomies, knocking over anything and everything in his path. He loves his ball and also enjoys going for a swim. Our dog is a hugely important member of our family, and everyone who meets him wants to keep him.