When Caroline suffered a bad injury, her dog Guiness was there to nurture her back to health

In 2012, I had a very bad horse riding accident and was hospitalised. When I could return home my little Guiness hadn't seen me in nearly two weeks, so he knew something was wrong.

He wasn't too pushy for fusses or cuddles and wouldn’t get under my feet like he used to. For weeks, he would walk behind me and follow me up the stairs, just to make sure I was always ok. Once, when I did need help, he ran to get my mother by barking at her and leading her towards me.

Guiness has always kept a smile on my face

If he hadn’t looked after me so well and kept me entertained, I don't think I'd have been so quick to recover. I wanted to get better so I could take him for walks again, or even to local dog shows. Guiness has always kept a smile on my face with all his quirks, and I’ll be forever grateful for having a smart and protective companion to look out for me.

Nowadays, I'm all healed and Guiness has turned into a grumpy old man! He has to have a morning nap and be fed on his schedule with no room for lateness – but he’ll always be my best boy, no matter what.

Niki adores her kind, caring and hilarious dog Lottie, who never fails to make her smile

Our pooch Lottie has got bucket loads of character. Whenever anyone comes round to visit, she automatically thinks they’re there to see her andgets her toys out to show off!

She’d just lie there with me

When I was off work a couple of years ago, she never left my side. I’d spend all day resting on the sofa and she’d just lie there with me. Lottie has three feline companions who she adores, and regularly tries to round up as though they’re hers to look after.

Molly and Poppy are happy helpers for school chaplain Alison, and the pupils love them too

I have two border collie dogs: Poppy (who is 11years old) and Molly (8 months). Molly was a lockdown rescue pup when her owners bought her then decided not to have her! I am a Chaplain in a school and take both dogs in with me every day.

Poppy and Molly deserve a treat!

They are great pastoral assistants! Poppy is a big teddy bear who loves to be hugged, Molly is a mischief and allows some of our ‘naughtier’ children to relate to her! We’ve worked all the way through the lockdown and Poppy and Molly deserve a treat!

Life isn’t easy for Otto or owner Sarah, but together they take on the world every single day

We got Otto when I was waiting for an operation on my eye. He gave me a reason to get up every morning. He was 10 weeks old and needed an urgent new home due to flooding and so we went and got him.

He is the best friend I could ask for

He is the best friend I could ask for. He hasn’t had the best start in life – bad breeding meant he was underweight, and we found out a few months ago that he has severe hip dysplasia and needed both his hips replacing. He had his first operation in August at 11 months old and next week will be going for his other hip replacement surgery.

Despite all of that he has been as good as gold and kept me going. I’m at high risk of Covid so have had to stay home since March and again he made it all bearable. He’s just lovely and after saving for his operations I would love to give him a treat.

Sarah quit her office job to spend more time with Ozzy, and now he plays an integral role in her dog-walking business

Ozzy comes wherever I go! I am a dog walker and the reason I gave up my office job was to spend more time with Ozzy. We love our job. Ozzy is the foundation of our business as all new dogs have to meet him to determine their behaviour.

I 100% trust Ozzy to welcome every dog he meets. All the dogs we walk know him – the young ones cling to him, the boisterous ones stay away from and the older ones hang out with him.

Ozzy has been through so many failed relationships and house moves with me. He has been my rock. He knows when to comfort me and when to cheer me up. He will cuddle up to anyone in need.

He's my best friend, work colleague and a huge part of our family

He sat with my dad while he was poorly and comforted my mum when she was sad. All without any prompt. He is a fabulous judge of character. With children, he is so gentle. He knows if they are worried and will stay close but allow them to build their confidence.

One of Ozzy’s party tricks is that he moonwalks out of rooms as he’s not a fan of slippery floors. We’re still unsure why walking backwards works?! Also, he can be found drinking like a horse on a hot day, submerging his whole face in the water bowl – something he learnt from his brother (my horse)!

He's my best friend, work colleague and a huge part of our family. He really is the best dog ever.

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.