Deb’s dog Mac may look like an old man, but he’s got the spirit of a young pup

Mac is my confidant. I have health issues and have had to retire because of them, but Mac keeps me going, even on my darkest days. It’s almost as though he can sense when things are really bad, because he’ll always give me lots of cuddles to cheer me up.

Mac keeps me going

Balls are his favourite toy, so he has a rather large collection. He also has a few quirky habits, like how he hates walking on the tiled floor and will refuse to come in unless I put his bed down for him, or how much he barks at the postman. Mac always waits until you’ve finished your food before he eats his, just in case you give him any extras!

As he’s getting old, he has a few health issues now, but as soon as you throw a ball, he turns into a young pup again. He does look like an old man with his bushy eyebrows and podgy tummy, but that just makes him all the more adorable.

Sharon has a soft spot for Mabel the mischief maker.

Mabel is a blonde bundle of fluffy fun, with a laid-back personality. She loves everyone and she thinks that everyone automatically loves her!

She thinks that everyone automatically loves her!

I love that she is a bit of a monkey, who totally doesn’t care if she has done something wrong. She just looks at you with her big brown eyes as if to say ‘what’s the problem?’

My favourite thing to do is cuddle her, as well as teaching her new tricks. Now she can high-five, beg, give a paw and roll over.

Susanne adores Playa for many reasons, but particularly for the way she looks out for Peanut the kitten

Playa was found with her siblings at the side of the road when she was just a few days old. The litter was fostered, and Playa was adopted but sadly returned after a while. I happened to meet her her at an adoption drive in a pet shop a few months later. I had only gone in to buy cat milk for our newly adopted kitten, Peanut, but I just knew as soon as I saw her that Playa was meant to be ours.

The two of them are inseparable

She immediately fit right into our busy household, along with our new kitten, Peanut, and two other cats. She loved Peanut from the moment she laid eyes on her, and to this day the two of them are inseparable and even sleep in the same bed. Peanut sees Playa as a toy and chase and bite her tail, but Playa just licks her back.

Playa loves everyone and everything. Our friend has a son who has autism, and he can be intimidated by dogs because of their unpredictable fast movements. But he has no fear of Playa, and loves sitting on the sofa and cuddling with her. Playa shows tremendous patience with all children and young dogs, and is always so gentle and calm around them.

Jasper might not have turned out to be an assistance dog, but the help and compassion he’s offered Charlotte is more than enough

Jasper started out life being trained with Canine Partners, a charity which provides assistance dogs for people with disabilities. When he was a year old, he went to ‘big school’, which was an advanced training centre in West Sussex. As he’s quite shy, he started to struggle and it didn’t seem like the right fit for him. Eventually he was put up for adoption, and as I was on a waiting list I received a call asking me if I’d be interested in meeting him.

To cut a long story short, I fell in love with him straight away. I said I'd like to trial him just to make sure we were a good fit, but I don’t think it took longer than a day for me to realise we were meant to be!

He has most certainly transformed my life

Jasper settled in amazingly, and the past four years with him have been such a joy – although, I don’t think I really appreciated just what a difference he’s made to my life until recently. He might not be my assistance dog, but he has most certainly transformed my life.

Not too long ago, I suffered from a miscarriage. Physically, I was ok but mentally I have really been suffering. Jasper has made everything so much more bearable. He’s always there for me, happy to cuddle on the sofa or go on a long walk to soak up the fresh air. Every morning, he greets me with his funny Labrador sneezes (as they do) and his flappy ear shake. He gives me a purpose to get up and out of the house, and he’s even brought my partner and I closer together during this tough time.

I could not have been without him these past few months and I will never forget the kindness that he’s shown me. He’s so gorgeous and truly the most affectionate, caring dog I could ever ask for – even if he does leave black hairs all over the house!

Julie loves how well Bonnie has taken little Bella under her wing

Bonnie is a gorgeous, fun-loving and affectionate Cocker Spaniel. She is always wagging her tail, which never fails to cheer me up. We go for walksat least twice a day and she loves nothing more than chasing after a ball. She also does agility training once a week, and that’s helped me to get fitter.

Never fails to cheer me up

We take her on holiday with us, and this year we’re looking forward to going on a staycation where we can enjoy long and peaceful walks. We’ll also be joined by another little Cocker Spaniel called Bella. Bonnie has taken so well to the new pup, mothering her, and enjoying the odd game of tug of war with her new companion. She even washes Bella, and they always like to sleep curled up together. It’s so adorable!

Kathryn and her family initially struggled to get Archie’s behaviour under control, but they eventually realised he wasn’t the only one in need of training

Archie is a goofy, lovable and loyal chocolate Labrador, who loves people and food but hates the hoover and water.

In the first six months, he was an absolute angel and no trouble at all. Then things changed and Archie became the craziest, most belligerent whirlwind ever! We got asked to leave training because his disruptive behaviour was disturbing others, and we even contacted a behaviourist for help.

He has taught us so much and brings us so much joy

We thought we’d made a dreadful mistake in getting him, but we eventually started to realise it wasn’t just Archie who needed training, we needed it too!

Gradually with patience, encouragement, praise and love, we have all learnt together and, between us, we have (almost) got there.

Archie’s still got his crazy personality at times, but we have the most loving, loyal dog who has taught us so much and brings us so much joy. Lockdown was made easier thanks to him, and we got through it all as a team. He’s even got a new cocker spaniel sister, Bella, who he’s helping us with – but that’s another story!