Fern’s life as a racing dog was far from easy, so now Karen is making sure she gets the love she’s always deserved

Fern has been with us a few weeks now. She’s an affectionate girl, learning to play, eat nicely, and come to terms with her young, bouncy four-legged brother. She loves a snuggle, she walks like an angel, and she’s always kind to both people and other dogs. She’s also always up for a fuss!

Fate brought Fern into our lives, and she will stay in them for the rest of hers

Before she came to us, she’d had a life in a cage, having to race and being hurt if she didn’t want to. Eventually she was too damaged by racing, so she was deemed useless and moved from Ireland to England. She was put into rescue kennels, then went to a home for a short while, but ended up back at the rescue, through no fault of her own.

Fate brought Fern into our lives, and she will stay in them for the rest of hers. She doesn’t know that yet, of course. She doesn’t know we love her and her gentle ways already. I love her tattooed ears, and the way her burn marks and scars have grown back as white fur on her grey coat. I love her weird jerky attempts at playing, and how she waits patiently for her meals. She will have the life she deserves now, and we will have less room on the sofa!

Pebble came into Linda’s life exactly when she needed her, and she’s made every day a little brighter since

Pebble is my little furry rock. When I lost my husband to cancer, the loneliness was so hard to bear. So, after a lot of research and talking to friends, I decided to look for a puppy. I came across a litter of Beddlington Whippets – the mum was a first cross Beddlington Whippet and the dad was a full pedigree Whippet.

Pebble was one of nine in the litter – two others were smooth-haired like her, while the other six were rough-coated. I fell for her the first moment I saw her at six weeks old. When she was old enough to leave her mum, she came to live with me and has been my constant companion ever since.

I fell for her the first moment I saw her

She's fun, makes me laugh every day and gets me out of the house. I now have plenty of exercise and stop to chat to so many people who marvel at how fast she is. In the evenings we cuddle on the sofa, and she gets into some of the most unusual goofy positions.

We go away together in my campervan and have attended many fun dog shows, country fairs and other charity events – she’s so pretty, she’s done well in many of the shows. She does also have her quirks, like recently she became scared of a new water bowl! And she’s nosey, so she’s been known to walk into fences and walls because she’s turning to look behind her. She’s the very best dog in the world and always brings a smile to my face.

Sian was so convinced Sonny was the one for her that she travelled 1,000 miles to bring him home

Sonny is such a character, I'm not sure where to begin. We did a 1,000-mile round trip to get him! After leaving Shetland, the most northerly island in Scotland, we travelled 14 hours overnight on a ferry and then drove all the way from Aberdeen to Herefordshire on the Welsh/English border.

We did a 1,000-mile round trip to get him!

After picking him up, we spent a night in Blackpool and drove all the way back up, staying at dog-friendly services by Kendall and getting back on the boat for another night to get him home. All in the heat of 2017 summer – it was 34°C on the day we picked him up!

I could have gotten a dog closer to home, but I knew he was the one. I'd previously worked with his owner (a veterinary surgeon) and his mother was the best Labrador I'd ever met – well-behaved, loving and smiled on command!

Cooper may keep Louisa and her family on their toes, but it’s impossible to get mad at him

Cooper came into our lives in December 2019. He is the most laid-back but equally energetic dog I've ever met. A lot of Cooper's development time was spent during lockdown, which was wonderful. He was my little working companion – he would sit on my knee and nap, and now, even though he's almost fully grown, he still does the same! He is a pleasure. He helps to wake up my two young sons every morning. I say: "Go and get the boys", and he runs upstairs and licks them until they get up!

He makes us all smile, every single day

One day, we were practicing recall while on a walk with Cooper. It was going great until he spotted a squirrel and did a complete U-turn and chased after it! Off into the bushes he went. They lead into the woods, so we were all shouting him back, but he didn't come back. The kids were distraught. I retraced the whole of our walk, shouting for him, asking passers-by if they’d seen him. No joy. I headed back to the field and told the kids to go home and wait on the step. I carried on the search, as did my husband, and were both becoming increasingly worried.

My husband called me 30 minutes later. I'd still not found him, nor had he. We both carried on searching, but it was getting dark. Another 20 minutes later my husband called saying, "He's home, he's with the boys". Cooper had come tottering back home, covered in all kinds, with a look on his face as if to say, "Where did you go?". We were over-joyed. We couldn't even be mad at him because of this look he had on his face. He makes us all smile, every single day.

Lockdown has been tough on Barbara, but Jester’s love and personality are just what she needs to get through.

Jester is just three months old but has already made a big difference to my life. I was widowed suddenly last year and I am classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, so found the first lockdown very hard. My daughter and family did all they could but obviously cannot be here 24/7.

He has already made a big difference to my life

This lockdown is hard, but I have a purpose: woken at 6.30am, puppy training, regular meals, games and enforced rest whilst he sleeps – usually on me, given the chance!

He may not be able to talk but he cocks his head and listens, probably thinking ‘is she going mad?!’ Help in the garden involves digging, pulling trailing plants, collecting and dispersing fallen apples.

Dexter has perked up Elaine’s home life with his cheeky grin and outdoor escapades.

After losing my previous Labrador after 13 and a half years, life was far too quiet. Enter Dexter to shake it up again – a loveable, cheeky, friendly puppy who’s now seven months old now. He's very loyal, loves to please and will do anything for a hot dog sausage. He loves to play ball, chase the birds, collect sticks and run in the fields. Then its home for a bath and some chill out time on his sun lounger. With Dexter, life is now rich again and far from quiet!

With Dexter, life is rich again and far from quiet!