After Christine’s traumatic car accident, Jasper was exactly what she needed during her recovery

I am a strong believer that things happen for a reason. In November 2015, I was driving home on the motorway when, all of a sudden, I was involved in a horrendous accident.

An HGV collided with my car, and I was dragged side-on down the motorway. I was extremely lucky to have walked away without any broken bones. However, I suffered from PTSD and severe anxiety from the trauma.

He helped me to get out the house and overcome my anxiety

Around that time, my partner's dog had a litter of pups. From the get-go, Jasper was drawn to me and I to him – we were like magnets. I loved him so much. He’s so caring and helped me to get out the house and overcome my anxiety.

Today, he’s still my 'cuddle puppy,' and I now also have his daughter. Both of them bring so much joy to my life and I am so grateful to have them.

Bobby fills Stephen’s days with love, laughter and endless affection

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis in most of my joints, so I struggle with mobility. My dog Bobby is a great companion for me, as I don’t get out very often. He’s so funny and full of life, he makes my days a lot more bearable.

He can also be quite mischievous

Bobby enjoys going out for walks with my wife, and he also attends doggieday carewhere he gets to play and socialise with other dogs. He’s very friendly and especially loves children, but he can also be quite mischievous. Bobby has been found guilty of digging holes in my garden, and sometimes when we have guests round, he’ll pinch the television remote so he can present it to them as a gift!

I’m so glad we have Bobby, because he brightens up our life a great deal.

Things were tough for Aamer and her family, but Julio brought them a new lease of life and helped them to smile again.

This past year and a half have been quite hard on me and my mum, as we have lost a lot of family members due to a number of reasons, even our beloved dog Ceaser. Things were very bad, and for the first time I felt depressed and tired of life. But then we brought our beloved puppy, Julio the German shepherd, into our lives, and slowly but surely things changed for the better.

He has been a blessing to us

He helped me make new friends on all of our walks. Ok – he does drag me along rather than walk with me, but even that helps as it’s a great workout and cheers us all up! He has a lot of energy in him, and even though that can tire me out at times, it keeps me on my toes and helps me stay motivated.

He loves my 14-year-old son, and he loves him too and has learnt a sense of responsibility thanks to Julio. In short, he has been a blessing to us – although, our sofa definitely does not feel the same way, as he’s chewed it all up!

Loveable pug Albert has stayed by Nicole’s side through thick and thin

When my partner died in 2015, my friends clubbed together to save enough money to cover the adoption fees for Albert.

Gaz and I had always dreamed of owning a black pug called Albert, so when he passed away, my friends knew that having a dog would be the only thing that could help me through. I saved him and he saved me.

He’s been by my side through the best and worst times of my life

I love Albert endlessly. He is the most devoted, loyal dog in the world. He knows when I’m sad and he’s happy when I’m happy.

I don’t know what I would ever do without me. He’s nine years old now and has been by my side through the worst and best times of my life.

Sweet Lola truly gives meaning to the title ‘Man’s Best Friend’ for Gemma’s son

Lola is the best doggie – she’s always loving and loyal.

She’s always loving and loyal

We got her for our son who was struggling with Tourette’s syndrome, anxiety and depression, and she’s helped him more than she will ever know.

My son and Lola even share the same birthday, so they have a very special bond.

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.