Ella has grown up to be a friendly and funny dog – offering lots of love and support to owner Ros and her family throughout tough times

Well, what can I say? Getting Ella three years ago was one of the best things we’ve ever done.

I guess we were a little sad, having just come through chemotherapy and a breast cancer diagnosis that had come out of the blue. At the same time, we were just emerging from Covid-19, too.

From the moment Ella joined our family, she was a ray of joy! From a fluffy, bitey puppy to the energetic, healthy dog she has become, she’s been a constant companion to the children and to us.

If one of the children is upset, she throws herself at their side to give them comfort

She gives us so much love and you can hear her tail thumping as soon as we enter the room. She’s so funny when she attacks her carrot – tossing it high in the air, snarling and barking at it. Ella’s also obsessed with looking out the upstairs window so she can shout (or rather, bark) when one of her dog friends walks by.

She seems to understand so much. For example, if one of the children is upset, she throws herself at their side to give them comfort. She’s brought so much happiness into our lives and we would never be without her.

Coll came into Michelle’s life when she needed a furry companion the most

We rescued Coll from our local animal shelter almost six years ago. When we got him, I was at a low point, having just lost my dad and undergone surgery. I wasn’t able to work, and I was struggling with feelings of boredom and depression.

Coll came into our lives just at the right time

Coll came into our lives at just the right time. He gave us a reason to get up and out every day. He motivates us and makes us laugh, and we’re so very proud of how far he’s come since we adopted him. It’s not always been easy but he’s a quick learner who’s eager to please, and always gives us lots of cuddles. Coll is our best friend who we love unconditionally.

Looking after Molly hasn’t always been easy, but Nicola has nothing but unconditional love for her

Molly came into our life a year ago and changed it forever. My husband and I had been volunteering at a lovely dog rescue charity called SHAK, where Molly was a favourite. She had been living there for three years and had already had four homes before she came to us.

She is a Husky Akita cross who suffers from separation anxiety alongside reactivity to other dogs, so she isn’t the most easygoing dog in the world. That doesn’t stop her from being really caring and affectionate though, and she absolutely adores people.

She absolutely adores people

When she first came home, she found it quite difficult to adjust. My husband had to sleep downstairs with her every night because she was so anxious. But now, a year later, she is so much better. She still has her anxieties, but that’s what makes her who she is and we wouldn’t change her for the world.

Molly comes with us whenever we volunteer at SHAK to visit all of her old friends and spread some hope. We couldn’t love her anymore.

Flossie never leaves Hannah’s side, even on her wedding day and honeymoon!

My dog Flossie is my fur baby. She comes absolutely everywhere with me and my husband, including our wedding six months ago. Flossie was the guest of honour and made our day even more special.

We also took her on our honeymoon to the Lake District, where we had lots of fun adventures together, from climbing hills to riding a steam train.

She was the guest of honour at our wedding

Flossie’s favourite thing in the world is socks – she will sneak upstairs and have a good rummage through the washing pile until she finds one. She then proceeds to bury her sock treasure in any blanket or cushion she can find. If you leave a sock somewhere, it’s fair game!

Flossie recently celebrated her fourth birthday. The above photo is from her annual birthday photoshoot. There are more photos of Flossie in our phones than anything else – I’m sure all dog owners can relate!

Skip went through a lot before he was rescued, but now he’s living his best life with a new prosthetic leg and plenty of love from Carly

Skip is a rescued Spanish Galgo. We’ve had him for just over a year. He was found chained up in a derelict barn, with just bread rolls around him that he’d been eating. He was also missing the lower part of a back leg.

A charity took him on, but he was incredibly nervous and unsure around people. They think his leg had been caught in a snare trap – who knows how long he had been like that.

He walks on the new leg as if it was his own

The only options were to amputate the leg or have a prosthetic made. I’m a vet nurse and I work in canine rehabilitation, so we made the decision to try the prosthetic. It was made bespoke for Skip by an amazing company in America and he hasn’t looked back.

Now, he walks on the new leg all the time, as if it was his own. Though he’s still shy at times, he’s grown so much in confidence, and he helps us raise funds for the charity who rescued him.

Victoria gave Ozzy a new home last year, and he’s making each and every day count

Ozzy was surrendered to the vet practice I worked in at 10 months old and needed to be given a second chance. I was hoping to get my first dog since moving out of my family home in summer 2023, but I agreed to take Ozzy on in August 2022 (a year earlier!) and have never looked back.

He is the most intelligent (although he does very often fall off the bed in the middle of the night!), friendly and loving dog I have ever met. He loves coming with me to look after my horse every morning and evening, goes on long walks to lots of different places, and he even went stand up paddle boarding with me the first weekend I had him.

His favourite place to go is the beach, he LOVES going for a swim, a long walk and then finishing with a doggy ice cream. His equal favourite place is in the bed, and at 3am every morning he creeps up from the end of the bed and cuddles up in between me and his dad underneath the duvet. I am new to the county I currently live in, so it has been great fun exploring the countryside with Oz by my side. Our little rescue pup has given us endless fun and I can’t wait for the years ahead with him.

He even went stand up paddle boarding with me the first weekend I had him