Jet helped Sue and her family heal after the loss of their beloved Banjo, and now he’s like an older brother to their two younger Whippets

Jet came to us with his brother Rebel via Whippet Rescue. We had recently lost our much-loved whippet, Banjo, at the age of three to an awful brain disease. We were heartbroken.

A few weeks after Banjo’s death, we received a phone call asking if we would consider adopting the two brothers. Their owner had become unwell and was no longer able to care for them. They were being passed around family members, none of whom wanted them. We thought long and hard for at least thirty seconds and said we would love them.

Jet is the venerable senior of our little pack

When we picked them up, every bone was visible. They were sunburnt, their ears were like old leather, and they were scared and bewildered. Over the next few weeks, we healed each other. They filled the enormous void left by our beloved Banjo, and we lavished them with good food and lots of TLC. They spent hours relaxing in the garden, and as they became more confident and settled, they helped out by digging and running all over the beds – but we didn’t mind.

We started taking them out in the car and they became firm favourites at our local National Trust property. They also loved trips to the beach as there was so much space to run. Sadly, we lost Rebel to kidney failure in March this year. However, Jet was not left alone as we had adopted a Whippet Bedlington Terrier cross called Reg in 2022.

At the end of May this year, we also had a message from a friend saying there was another Whippet in need, and she knew we had a ‘vacancy’, so Sam came to join us. Jet is the venerable senior of our little pack and keeps an eye on Reg and Sam.

Nikki’s dogs Jasper and Teddie offer her endless love, laughter and affection

Jasper was our first ever rescue dog. He has so many little quirks and funny habits. He likes to sing – or howl – along to any music he hears. He also tries to eat any post that comes through the letterbox, and can bounce extremely high, like a kangaroo! This is funny because he has no sense of how tiny he actually is. Despite his size, he’s very confident and likes to protect our other dog, Teddie, whenever we’re all out on a walk together.

They’ve kept us going through lockdown

Teddie the Zuchon is boisterous and fast, but also very clumsy. He adores Jasper and spends most of his time either cuddling up to him or pestering the life out of him. Teddie likes to do tricks, such as throwing his toy up in the air and then catching it – though, he’s not always very good, and often Jasper manages to snatch it first.

Both dogs have brought so much love and hilarity into our lives. They’ve kept us going through lockdown, and definitely take care of us as much as we do them.

Laura’s dog Milo is so kind and gentle, you can’t help but adore him

I adopted Milo from an elderly lady who could no longer care for him, but prior to that I used to be his walker. He’s now a happy part of our family, alongside our other two dogs and our two cats, who he adores playing with.

He’s now a happy part of our family

Milo has a calm and caring nature and will always jump onto your lap for snuggles. In fact, he’s so gentle he’s regularly invited to the local primary school to be a reading buddy for the children. He gets to spend some quiet time with them and their books and helps them to stay relaxed.

Our dog has brought so much love and affection into our lives. We just couldn’t be without him!

As long as Jennifer has Alfie by her side, she can get through anything

I got Alfie during the pandemic as I live alone and wanted some companionship. Because of all the lockdowns, I barely left the house and my mood was constantly low.

I had been saving for a dog for a while but with the prices jumping up I couldn't find any I could afford. I randomly found an advert for Alfie and managed to be the first person to get in contact – it was clearly meant to be. He has brought so much happiness into my life and is helping me to get out of the house and interacting with people again.

He has brought me so much happiness

Since getting Alfie, I have been focusing on his training, which has given me something to do while spending all this time at home. He has made such a massive difference to my mood and quality of life. I honestly don't know what I would do without him.

She might not technically be a support dog, but Cherry is always by Denise’s’ side making her life a little sweeter.

Cherry has been my shadow, my support and my will to keep going. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and started chemotherapy in June. Cherry instinctively knew something was not right with me, and that I was not my normal self.

She is always giving me cuddles and kisses

She took it upon herself to always stay by my side, even when I went to bed she would fall asleep resting her head on me as if to watch over me.

Cherry is so loving and she is always giving me cuddles and kisses on my bad days. She won’t even let my other Collie come near me, always pushing him out of the way even though he is 20lbs heavier! She is my emotional support, and without her I don’t know how I would cope with my ongoing treatment.

Frontline worker Jodi got Flo to keep her dad company – and now their world revolves around her.

Flo was an isolation puppy from the Dogs Trust. She came into our lives at just the right time. Both my mum and I are frontline workers caring for the local community. And my dad recently had his right leg amputated after a long battle with cancer. We live in a small secluded village and we were worried about how my dad would cope with being housebound while we were both at work.

In came Flo, with her unusual beagle colours and regal attitude. She fits right in with our older dog Flash and has already become the boss of the house. She’s more interested in snuggling up to my dad on the sofa than playing in the garden. And every Thursday at 9pm she sits on the spot for the clapping for our carers. We all think she believes this round of applause is for her – she even pops a paw up when it’s over!

She came into our lives at just the right time

She loves her home comforts and drags her blanket with her everywhere she goes. She’s always ready for nap o’clock. But most of all she loves tummy rubs. She is now 14 weeks’ old and celebrating her fourth week with the family who love and spoil her far too much already.

When I asked the family what their favourite thing about Flo was everyone was in agreement: it was her love of carrying a stick on every walk, especially when they’re three times the size of her and too heavy to carry.

It’s Flo’s world really, we just live in it.