Lily’s love for life has helped Kathryn’s children to get outside and stay positive

Lily is a fun-loving English Springer Spaniel. She is obsessed with tennis balls and loves to swim!

Her boundless energy and love for the outdoors is helping my four teenagers to get through lockdown. She gives them something to do each day and gets them out of the house and into the fresh air.

She keeps our whole household smiling

One of her favourite pastimes is chasing my 19-year-old son as he skateboards around the park. Lily is truly bonkers and a best friend to all of my children. She keeps our whole household smiling through even the darkest days.

When owner Pamela had a nasty fall, Dave the pug and Ed the Shar Pei teamed up for a simply astonishing rescue effort

On 7 July this year, I had a twist of my left ankle, fell and hit my back off a wall. I have MS and I use a stick but wasn’t doing anything stupid – just watching my two dogs play, turned around and that was it.

My son works from home and had just gone upstairs, so I knew I was in trouble as no one could have heard me. Dave my pug is trained to pick things I drop up, but I hadn’t dropped anything, so I told them to go get my son. They ran into the kitchen and stood barking but my son just kept working thinking they were playing.

It had started to rain and I knew I was in trouble as I couldn’t move and my breathing had become very shallow. In between them running in and out, I asked them to get my phone but it wasn’t on the floor so Dave was confused. I know Ed my Shar Pei loves the furry toy on my phone, so I asked him to get it.

Dear knows how long I’d have been out in the rain without my two super dogs

By now I’d been lying on the path for 20 minutes and knew I had done something bad. Ed came over and I could move my head, so I held onto him and he slowly pulled me towards the backdoor. He then lifted my phone but dropped it as he wasn’t really allowed to touch it, but then Dave grabbed it and gave it to me.

I texted “help fallen” and down my son came. He called 999, and when the medics saw me, they too knew I’d done something. They thought I’d punctured a lung, but after getting IV morphine I was somehow into the ambulance and blue lighted to hospital.

I’d broken my ankle and my back, and was in hospital for seven weeks, then got home needing carers, nurses and physios. I’m on the way to better health now, but dear knows how long I’d have been out in the rain without my two super dogs.

Rhian and his family fell for William as soon as they saw him, and now he makes the perfect addition to their happy family.

We visited Llys Nini RSPCA rescue centre back in the Summer holidays, and instantly fell in love with William the Corgi. We’re told that William and his brother Harry had been found wandering the streets of Swansea. He was extremely unkempt and malnourished.

He is thriving!

After lots of socialisation visits, William finally came to his forever home a few weeks later. As you can see, he is thriving! He’s now a healthy, happy little dog and entertains us every day. As we live near lots of beaches, he enjoys long beach walks (although he’s yet to get his paws wet in the sea!) and cosy evenings in front of the fire.

My daughter was diagnosed with a chronic condition in May and William never fails to cheer her up on her down days. They are the best of friends. William really is the best dog ever.

Sarah’s family adores Jeffrey – a small dog that’s made a big impact!

Jeffrey, our beloved Miniature Schnauzer, became part of our family as a companion to our teenage son.

At the time, our son was lonely and missing his siblings (who being eight years older had already left home). He was also sad after being bullied for several months at school.

Our son took great joy in training Jeffrey to do all sorts of tricks, as well as taking care of him and taking him for walks. Jeffrey was his loyal companion, waiting at the foot of the stairs by the front door all day when he left for school and squealing and leaping with delight when he returned home. This built our son’s confidence and helped him to make new friends.

He loves nothing more than everyone coming home

Our son has left home now, and since he can’t keep a dog in rental accommodation, Jeffrey is looked after by us parents. He follows me around, takes us for a walk every day and when our son returns, he’s beside himself with joy! He’s loyal to the whole family and loves nothing more than everyone coming home.

Jeffrey keeps us active and his favourite place to go for a walk is the beach near where we live. He also loves walks in the forest, parks and the local area, and he enjoys saying hello to everyone! He used to play fetch with a ball, but since he’s lost most of his teeth, he can only do that with very soft toys now. He’s extremely friendly and has a great personality. He’s curious, inquisitive, adventurous and enjoys a good cuddle with a tummy and neck rub!

Family life is complete with Jeffrey.

Even though some people didn’t think Fibee was beautiful, it was love at first sight when Kat became her dog sitter

Fibee came to me through a dog sitting site, five years ago now. Her owners were French and wanted somebody to look after her when they went back to France, sometimes for weeks at a time. At first, Fibee was very nervous, but I took her everywhere with me and she slowly became more confident. She trusted me.

I didn’t even notice what bad shape she was in. She had decayed teeth, a scabby eye and no hair. I don’t really know how to explain it. Everyone else reacted with a slight recoil, but I thought she was lovely. And love is blind.

The more time she spent at mine, the happier she seemed to be there. Three years ago, her owners asked me whether I’d like to look after her full time. They were having babies so she was being more and more neglected, and she just loved her visits to mine.

I can’t believe how lucky I am

I honestly couldn’t believe it – I could have never imagined such an outcome when I first met her. But I said yes, without hesitation.

Before Fibee, I was a bit wild, spending weekends out with mates. Nothing too crazy, but nothing too healthy either. Fibee changed all that. She gave me a routine. I knew I needed to take care of her and make her feel safe.

No vets could tell me what was wrong with her skin. But I got her teeth sorted and slowly, with a grain-free diet, her eye got a lot better.

Now it’s like she’s had a second lease of life. She comes on hikes with me, 5+ miles on the trot. She’s a favourite at the leisure centres I work for, and she just helped me propose to my fiancée.

Sometimes I just stare at her and can’t believe how lucky I am that she chose me.

Both Jo and her daughter feel eternally grateful for the happiness Oreo has brought into their lives

Oreo is an absolute pleasure to share our lives with. She recently lost her best friend Willow, a Bernese Mountain Dog, and it has taken her a good six months to get back to being her usual happy self.

Love certainly is a wet nose, slobbery kisses and a wagging tail

She’s my daughter’s best friend and they are inseparable. The bond between them is beautiful and we struggle to imagine what life will be like without her. We know that as a giant breed she’s now an old lady, but the joy she brings us all is beyond words.

We feel truly honoured to have Oreo in our lives and we treasure every day we spend with her. Love certainly is a wet nose, slobbery kisses and a wagging tail.