Doris supported Alice through her struggles with depression, and now she continues to fill her life with love and laughter

Doris is my rock. She is the four-legged love of my life and my absolute best friend. She was by my side through my depression and just understood – she knew I needed her.

She was, and still is, my reason to get out the house each day, even though she is a complete princess and HATES wind and rain. She’s the reason I laugh and smile so much.

She is the four-legged love of my life

She’s also a complete sass queen and will always refuse to leave the beach. She’ll walk round any puddle and go to extreme lengths to avoid mud, but will charge straight into the sea!

Doris will shred a tennis ball in seconds, but will treasure any cuddly toy for months – or years. Her favourite game is chase but, if no one’s around to play, she’ll take a toy to the top of the stairs and launch it down by herself on repeat!

Ever since being adopted, Hugo has been bringing love and laughs to Grace’s life

Hugo is a typical terrier, into everything and certainly has selective hearing at times 😆. But he also has the quirkiest personality and constantly makes us laugh. He stands on his hind legs like a meerkat, he does the sploot like a frog and rolls around on his back like a turtle stuck on its back.

He shown us that even a tough start in life can’t hold you back

Being a Dogs Trust rescue, he didn’t have the best start to life, but since we adopted Hugo he’s always there for us after a hard day in the office or when you just need a laugh or cuddle. He gets us out of the house and kick started our fitness journey. He shown us that even a tough start in life can’t hold you back.

Despite Lulu’s barking, shedding and laziness, Rob and his family couldn’t imagine life without her

This is Lulu. We got her from a rescue centre a few years ago after she'd clearly had quite a rough time with a breeder who'd definitely over-bred her. She just looked so sad when we saw her, and the kids fell in love with her on the first meeting.

She thinks she's a lot smaller than she is

We'd vowed to get a small to medium-sized dog, and she is NOT that! She's lazy as hell, she sheds everywhere, she barks too much for no reason, she has the most evil farts and she’s now a bit incontinent, but we love her to bits.

We even love it when she climbs up on the sofa between us, when there clearly isn't enough room for her. She thinks she's a lot smaller than she is, bless her!

Nursing during the pandemic took a huge toll on both Mel and her partner, but Bruce’s arrival has helped the whole family to heal

My partner and I are both nurses. The last two years have left us tired, frazzled and at times afraid and terribly sad. Our two little boys Felix, aged seven, and Jude, aged six, were some of the few children at school throughout and they’ve been so brave.

I love dogs but it was never possible to have one with the long hours we worked. Then, in June last year, I got a job that allowed me to work from home a couple of days a week and we saw an advertisement for a litter of springer spaniels. It took some convincing but my partner, Dee, finally agreed to see them and the rest is history.

Even on the most difficult days, Bruce is always there

Bruce is typical of his breed – intelligent, playful, affectionate and slightly loopy. With the boys, he is always gentle and loving, and hearing them squeal with laughter when they all play together fills my heart.

Even on the most difficult days, Bruce is always happy to see us and always ready with a cuddle and a slobbery kiss. More times than I care to mention, I have sat on the sofa after a day at work and cried, and Bruce is always there, wrapped around my neck or lying across my legs and looking at me with his big brown eyes. The loopiness stops and he is just calm and present, and I feel better.

He gives me the strength to keep going. I have lost weight, my blood pressure and pulse are lower. I am loving our walks and looking forward to holidays in the lakes and Yorkshire Dales. He has completed our family.

Princess Peggy’s been in a few unfortunate accidents since joining Kathleen’s family, but she always manages to get away without a scratch

I bought Princess Peg Peg, or Peggy, for my son Michael who has Asperger’s, and he named her. Straight away, we knew she was special. It was easy to teach her commands and there’s not a bad bone in her body.

One day, she was looking out of the upstairs window, and could see Michael in the garden below. She leaned out too much and fell! Miraculously, she was uninjured. How? We don’t know. Maybe she had a guardian angel!

There’s not a bad bone in her body

Another time, Michael was across the road when Princess Peggy ran out of the house to be with him. A car hit her, and again, she was uninjured! So, she learnt the hard way NOT to lean out of windows, and NOT to run across the road.

Her wonderful nature has brought her many friends, young and old, over the years. Two years ago she was diagnosed with cancer, but after having the lumps removed, she’s made a full recovery.

Princess Peggy will be 14 next month, but we hope that she’ll be around for a few more years, greeting all who may come her way.

Mandy enjoys endless adventures with her canine companion, Bea

Bea is my best friend. We go practically everywhere together and are quite well known in my neighbourhood. Her favourite things are food, affection, her cuddly bumble bee toy and riding in the back of my vintage American ‘Woody’ truck.

She’s a diva with the sweetest heart

Bea also loves the camera and has appeared in a couple of UK TV commercials – she thrives on the attention! She’s a diva with the sweetestheart and we are truly inseparable.

Having travelled extensively together, Bea is a total globetrotter, but we have now been happily settled in London for the past eight years. Here’s to many more years of love and fun with my best buddy.