Aprille, her husband and their dog Ella love exploring the British countryside together

Ella came into our lives when our friends decided to breed their Labrador Sam. We love mountain climbing and long walks in the Suffolk countryside, and they convinced us that we needed a dog to share those experiences with.

Ella’s favourite place to walk is the Lake District

They were certainly right. Ella’s favourite place to walk is the Lake District,and we’ve been fortunate enough to spend many hours hiking the Cumbrian Mountains. She loves collecting rocks and sticks to carry on her adventures, even if they’re half the size of her! We think she must be part-seal, because she’s so dedicated, she often dives underwater to seek out her treasures

She has been our best friend during this troublesome year, and we never go far without her. Ella has even given us the inspiration to write blogs about our walks and take pictures of the many glorious sunsets we catch along the way. It will be a lovely way for us to look back on our adventurestogether.

Rosie makes every day brighter for Jane and her family

Rosie, who was born on the summer solstice, lights up the room without saying a word. She’s at her happiest when she’s running along the beach chasing the birds, though she never actually catches any. Rosie loves to skip over rocks and never slips, no matter how much seaweed there is.

She’s ginger, fluffy and loyal

She’s ginger, fluffy and loyal, and our whole family absolutely adores her. All of us have a picture of her saved as our screensaver, and she’s definitely the favourite family member. She’s taught us love, loyalty and trust and that’s something we will always be grateful for.

For many years, Dusty has been an invaluable source of support for Heather’s son, despite his health challenges

Our eldest son, who is six now, was born with several medical conditions. Dusty has always seemed to know this. From a puppy, she was always next to Stanley. Stanley was unable to see for a significant time and Dusty would bring her ball and drop it into his hand so he could throw it for her. Then she’d chase it, bring it back to him and place it in his hand again.

Stanley was also born with complete weakness on his right side, so he struggled a little with his walking. So, Dusty would press herself against him to support him whilst he was going about his day-to-day business. When our youngest was born, Dusty became protective over him too, but she always knew Stanley needed a little more help.

She almost sees herself as a sibling to the boys

Thankfully, an operation back in March 2020 meant that Stanley’s vision was much improved. Old habits die hard though, so Dusty still treats him as though he has trouble seeing. She sleeps at the end of the bed. If he wakes up in the night, she guides him to the bathroom and back to bed. And if he rolls too close to the edge, she lies alongside him to keep him from falling out.

It seems like she almost sees herself as a sibling to the boys. She joins in with their games and follows them round. Quite often, she sits next to the play kitchen while they ‘cook’ her dinner, or helps them dig in the sandpit. She even follows them around in the sea on holiday! Then she rounds them up and she makes sure that nobody is left behind.

Dusty goes everywhere with us. As soon as we open the car door, she jumps straight in. She’s a best friend to both of our sons and our family wouldn’t be the same without her.

It took Blake a while to find his forever home, but owner Louise gave him his happily ever after

Blake was rehomed in March, when he was just eight months old. He’s a Pointer Cross and is very energetic, loving and playful. He had been through a couple of foster families before he found us, but we are his forever home.

He is a loving dog who enjoys cuddles, chest rubs and spending time with his humans. More than anything, he adores playing with a ball – though he doesn’t always like to give it back! Recently, he had his first taste of snow and just couldn’t get enough of it.

We are his forever home

Something else which he basks in is human affection – he’s featured in many a zoom call, always sneaking into the room when I have my back turned so that he can come and say hello. He’s even starred on a rugby pet calendar, for which he had to pose at Murrayfield stadium.

Earlier this year, my wife was made redundant and I had to undergo an unexpected operation. Blake has been a huge source of comfort to us both, and we simply couldn’t imagine our lives without him.

Joanna’s three furry friends proved the perfect tonic during a long rehabilitation from injury

Billy is 6, Henry is 1 and Percy is 9 months. My dogs are the best, as are everyone's to their families, but they really proved themselves this last year. In September I fell off my horse and broke my back, resulting in bed and sofa rest for 6 weeks and then some movement.

They snuggled in closer to comfort me

I am a very active person. I love walking the dogs and being at the yard with the horses and riding. During my 'cage rest' period, my dogs would keep me entertained. They would bring me toys – I'm sure for their benefit rather than mine – to play with, they would snuggle with me and they would guard me and growl at me if I tried to move. It was as if they knew I wasn't allowed to. If I moved they moved.

If I cried when the pain got too much, they snuggled in closer to comfort me. When I was allowed to start my rehab and walking, taking the dogs out was part of that, they were as good as gold, it was like they knew. They didn't mind the fact that I could only go a few steps each day, but always had a wag and never got stroppy. The dogs helped me through a really tough time and helped me mentally to overcome the trauma I was going through.

Barna’s natural instinct was to protect Emily, and now he is a fully trained medical assistance dog, helping to giving her back her independence

Nearly three years ago, we brought Barna, a Hungarian Vizsla puppy, into our lives to be a loving pet and companion, yet he has proven to be so much more than that. I live with a serious and complex neurological condition that causes me to collapse regularly. I myself have no awareness of these onsets, and would often be injured or be admitted into hospital, but all that changed when Barna was six months old.

Changed my life for the better

We discovered that Barna could detect the minute changes in the pheromones my body released in the lead-up to a collapse. He would ‘alert’ me via a series of behaviours, including intense staring, refusal to do as asked and a single bark. These are my five-minute warnings, which gives me a chance to make myself safe. Realising Barna’s potential to detect an oncoming episode, we contacted the charity Medical Detection Dogs.

Nearly a year and a half later, we were given the amazing news that Barna is now a fully accredited Medical Alert Assistance dog. As a family, we can’t put into words how much both the charity and Barna have changed my life for the better. He is the first Hungarian Vizsla to be accredited as a medical alert assistance dog (as far as the charity is aware) in the UK, so he is flying the flag for all other breeds that may not be conventionally thought of as great assistance dogs.