Rebecca had always dreamed of being a dog owner, and at 28 she finally got her wish when she and her partner adopted Hendrix – four months before their wedding!

I have dreamt of owning a dog since I was five years old. When I was a kid, I saved my pocket money and bought collars and leads dreaming of one day having a dog to put them on.

It wasn’t until I was 28 that I was finally ready to bring my first ever dog into my life. We were getting married in August 2019, and in March 2019 I saw an advert for Collie puppies. We were told we were mad to get a puppy four months before our wedding, but along came Hendrix in April. We used our honeymoon fund to buy him, so instead of a honeymoon we had a puppymoon!

Hendrix is a bundle of energy. He is a typical Collie – incredibly clever, always thinking ten steps ahead. For example, if we start getting ready to go out, he will know from our voices and movements whether he is coming with us or not. If he thinks he is, he will go and sit by the front door, but if he thinks he's not he will get up on the sofa and lay down. How he knows I will never understand!

Instead of a honeymoon we had a puppymoon!

We do trick training together and he is now an expert trick dog. We started because he had some hip issues so needed some extra mental stimulation, but we've carried on as he is an absolute natural and loves learning new things! It’s also had wonderful benefits on his mental health too. He is a very anxious lad and this has really built up his confidence.

He has completely and utterly changed our lives. I am disabled and used to lack motivation. I would sleep till gone noon and stay up all night. Now I am up by 8am every day with Hendrix. He wakes me up by licking my wrists every morning and then we start our day of adventures!

He gives me a sense of freedom that I never had before. He also makes us laugh so many times a day with his clumsy silliness. Hendrix is my absolute world and I love him so much!

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.

Hank has been mostly blind for his whole life, but he inspires Paige and her family every day with his unwaveringly upbeat personality

At a very young age, we discovered Hank was partially blind, with very little to no sight. Hanks has had multiple operations to attempt to correct his vision and many, many vet visits over his short life. He’s faced all his challenges head on, with resilience and positivity, and his tail is constantly wagging.

He makes us proud every day with how far he has come

Hank has exceeded all the expectations that we had for him. He loves his Wainwright walks off-lead, he loves to swim in the water and play with all his other doggy friends. He’s allowed us to see that no matter what life throws at you, you can overcome it with the right mindset and be just like everyone else.

He makes us proud every day with how far he has come and what a lovely natured boy he’s been throughout it all. He is a firm favourite at his vets, with the nurses continuously complimenting him on his outlook on life. He has quite a fan base! On our bad days, Hank allows us to see the positivity and keeps us going.

Pablo gave his owner, Traci, a reason to smile when she was feeling low

Pablo originally lived in Gran Canaria. He came over to England in November 2019 and went to live with a foster mum in Sheffield through a charity called Pet Pals GC. Around this time, our beloved border collie, Barney, had been diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma and we were told he wouldn’t make it to Christmas. We sadly lost Barney in December and our hearts were truly shattered.

I was sad, but I also I knew I had the room in my heart to look after another dog. We’ve always had big dogs, but I had recently been diagnosed with arthritis in my spine and knees, so I felt a smaller breed would better fit the bill. I came across Pablo while browsing animal charities online and arranged to go and visit him in Sheffield the following week.

As soon as I met him, I could feel my heart melting

As soon as I met him, I could feel my heart mending a little bit, as he sat straight on my lap and covered me in kisses. A couple of weeks after taking Pablo home, we went into lockdown. We’d go out for walks every day around the golf course, where Pablo loves playing in the sand bunkers.

He makes us laugh and smile every single day. I still miss my Barney boy, but my heart is now full of love again thanks to our little Spanish street dog.

Susan is so proud of the way Oscar takes care of her son

Oscar is fabulous. He's looks after my son, Jason, who has autism. When he knows Jason is unhappy, he’ll go and sit next to him until he cheers up.

Until he cheers up

My dog has such a fun personality and can be very cheeky. He enjoys having a sneaky nibble of the newspaper when he thinks no one is looking! He’s also a total water baby, and so his favourite pastime is undoubtedly swimming.

Keeva has helped her owner Lyndsey to spend more quality time with her son

We got Keeva in November after a very tough few months in lockdown. Both my son and I suffer from heart problems, and Keeva really helped us to stay positive during the uncertainty of last year.

Keeva has really helped us to stay positive

Dogs were already a part of our family, as we have two Chihuahuas as well as Keeva. We adore them but they’re getting old and can’t walk far anymore. That just makes training Keeva the puppy all the more exciting. Taking her out for fresh air has kept us going and brought us closer together, and we have so many funny stories we can’t wait to share with our wider family when we can see them again.

Keeva is an Irish name which means bold and beautiful. It reminds me of my other son and his young family. They live in Ireland, so I haven’t seen them in a while, but they’re always in my thoughts.