FAngela adores her dog Evie, especially for her positive outlook on life

My Chocolate Labrador was the smallest of her litter, weighing only 1.5kg at eight weeks old. We spent a lot of time building her up, as she lives with two other, larger Labradors. She thrived on the attention, food and exercise, and is now a healthy 27 kg.

She keeps us going

When she was one, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. I am so proud of herand the way she just gets on with life. We treat her the same as our other two dogs, so she enjoys going on walks, eating and playing. With her happy-go-lucky character, she keeps us going, always reminding us to stay positive. Evie has taught us that life is too short to spend it worrying. We admire her so much.

Samantha knew that Winnie the rescue dog would be a perfect addition to her family

We got Winnie as a companion for our autistic son. She was due to come home to us the week of the first lock down, and sadly the process ended up being delayed. We felt so sorry for her as it meant had to stay at the shelter for a little while longer. But, we kept our hopes up and as soon as the restrictions eased, we were told we could come and collect her.

We’re always here to protect her

At first, she was extremely shy and wouldn’t come near us, but we gave her space and over time she stared to realise just how much we love her. We’ve had to build up her confidence bit by bit and show her the joys of the big wide world – but also reassure her that we’re always here to protect her.

Winnie is now a loved member of our family, and is not only a true friend to our son Jake, but also a pal to our other pets. Jake loves her so much, and she’s been a huge help to him throughout these uncertain times.

Sarah knows she can always rely on her loyal friend Rembrandt to keep her out of harm’s way

I'm disabled and suffer from sudden falls and vertigo. From a very early age, Rembrandt has been my constant companion. My partner is the one who walks him, trains him and plays boisterous games with him, but it's me Rembrandt sticks with like glue.

It’s me he sticks with like glue

On the occasions when I've had a fall, he’s sat with me until help has arrived and is super attentive, almost like he's making sure that I'm ok. Of course, like any Labrador puppy, he loves playing and enjoys a game of ‘splashy splashy’ in his paddling pool when it’s warm, as well as playing fetch with his older brother Peewee.

Rembrandt is such a character. He’ll devour anything that’s edible, and even some things that aren’t, including the sofa cushions and the skirting board! Both of his parents are search dogs, so when we can, we’ll enroll him into puppy school where he’ll learn to be a great sniffer dog.

Monty has been there for Emily on good days and bad, and now he’s doing the same for her new baby

We’ve had Monty the Springer Spaniel for 2.5 years. We’ve always had dogs as children and felt our home wasn’t complete without one of our own.

As a pup, he was a bit of a terror, but he certainly kept us entertained as we went into lockdown. He was such a legend whilst we completed the extension on our home. He took having his house turned upside down and living in a building site all in his stride.

He always knows when I’ve had bad days

I work for the ambulance service, and he always knows when I’ve had bad days. His usual bumpiness settles, and he’ll allow me to cuddle into him and cry if needed. But he’ll never let me wallow in sadness for too long – he’ll always do something silly to make me laugh. Our long walks also help clear my head.

Three months ago, we brought home our baby girl. We were slightly dubious of how Monty would react to no longer being the centre of attention, but he has stepped up to being the best big brother. He is protective of the baby and will always look at me for reassurance if someone else is holding her. If she cries, he is always the first to her side to check she is okay. Monty truly is the best dog.

Michelle’s dog Bix may have been an unexpected addition to the family, but now he’s what makes their house a home

We met Bix in the summer of 2019. As we’d recently lost our beloved dog Hamish, we were too upset to consider adopting another. But, on a trip to the Dog’s Trust to donate some of our items, we saw Bix and fell in love straight away – it was meant to be, and 9 days later he became an official part of our family.

At first he was very timid around us, but now his cheeky character has started to shine through and he is an absolute joy to be around. His funny antics make us laugh every day, and he really does have a beautiful personality.

His cheeky character has started to shine

He loves nothing more than being at home, and upon return to the house will immediately start rolling or running around out of sheer excitement. We tried to tell him he wasn’t allowed to sit on the furniture, but he didn’t listen, and always manages to relax on the sofa and watch TV with us in the evening. He even demands his own pillow to lie on!

Recently, we’ve been video calling my parents every day. Bix insists he makes an appearance on each time, so as soon as he hears their voices he’ll dash into the room and jump in front of the phone screen to say hello.

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