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.

Looking after Molly hasn’t always been easy, but Nicola has nothing but unconditional love for her

Molly came into our life a year ago and changed it forever. My husband and I had been volunteering at a lovely dog rescue charity called SHAK, where Molly was a favourite. She had been living there for three years and had already had four homes before she came to us.

She is a Husky Akita cross who suffers from separation anxiety alongside reactivity to other dogs, so she isn’t the most easygoing dog in the world. That doesn’t stop her from being really caring and affectionate though, and she absolutely adores people.

She absolutely adores people

When she first came home, she found it quite difficult to adjust. My husband had to sleep downstairs with her every night because she was so anxious. But now, a year later, she is so much better. She still has her anxieties, but that’s what makes her who she is and we wouldn’t change her for the world.

Molly comes with us whenever we volunteer at SHAK to visit all of her old friends and spread some hope. We couldn’t love her anymore.

Though Lucas finds the outside world pretty daunting, he’s always happy when he’s at home with Julie and her family

Lucas is my boy, my shadow and my fur baby, and he means the world to us. He came into our lives when he was 13 months old. We don't know an awful lot about his past, other than he had two previous homes before he found us.

At home, he’s adorable. He’s the funniest, most loving dog who greets us with a happy dance and a smile. When it comes to the outside world, he just doesn't understand it. He becomes anxious, scared and is obviously uncomfortable. We’ve done everything we can to help him through this, but after five years, we’ve decided to just follow his lead.

I always say that Lucas found us

Lucas is happiest as a sofa surfer. He likes nothing more than curling up or stretching out in the sunniest spot. When I’ve been ill, he’s been at my side. When I cry, he comforts me. When we laugh, he gets excited too.

I always say that Lucas found us, and I truly believe he did. It was only when we got him home for the first time that we realised he was born on the day that my mum passed away. He was meant to live with us, support us and love us, and we were meant to return this in abundance. He’s also the reason I started my small business. So, thank you Lucas, my child with four paws.

Twig never leaves Lotte’s side and has even helped her reconnect with her nan, who’s suffering from the debilitating effects of dementia

Last year, my nan’s dementia got a lot worse, and I felt like I had lost her behind the fog and confusion of the disease. She no longer remembered my name, she was scared and erratic and it was impossible to have a conversation with her.

Then I took Twig to see her. My nan’s face lit up as Twig bounded towards her, she opened her arms and yelled ‘TWIG!’ She remembered her! We could talk about Twig and stroke her together and it calmed and grounded my nan. Twig was like a portal, bringing a little fragment of my nan back to me.

Twig is the kindest and most warm-hearted dog I have ever met

Twig has been my rock, best friend and soulmate since I collected her from a little farm in Wales two years ago. We are inseparable. She comes out with the horses to gallop on the beach, we go on adventures up mountains, and she even comes to work with me at the vets. She’s not only the face of the practice (her photos are literally all over the walls!), but also a calm and comforting presence for other dogs who are in for surgery.

She has also helped raise an abandoned kitten that was brought into the vets close to death. Twig kept her warm and brought her back to life. It was adorable to see, you can’t make this stuff up!

Twig is the kindest and most warm-hearted dog I have ever met. She is also a true character and people just fall in love with her. When I am sad or anxious, she distracts and comforts me. She always knows what to do to.

And talk about a poser! If a camera comes out, Twig understands the assignment. But then again, it would be a crime for her not to share her beauty with the world!

Hudson is a real character with lots of funny quirks, but that’s exactly why Jade loves him so much.

Hudson is the joy of mine and my partners’ lives. He is a rescue street dog from Romania and a cross between a Border Collie and a Labrador. His personality just shines and astounds us every single day, especially when it comes to food. He is honestly the most food-orientated dog ever, he would do anything for a little bit of cheese or chicken!

He has many quirks that seem to get weirder and weirder, but of course make him cuter every day. He barks and runs in his sleep, and even dribbles so much that it drops onto the floor just before being given his night-time biscuit.

His intelligence astounds me

His intelligence astounds me, we have bought him numerous puzzles for dogs where you hide treats on all levels, and he has figured out every single one of them within three minutes or under!

He loves his naps and gets super grumpy when woken, which is just so adorable. I wouldn’t consider getting another dog that wasn’t a rescue, these dogs have so much love to give and you can tell how much he appreciates us on a daily basis. Rescuing a dog is amazing and so rewarding, I am so glad to have my Hudson!

When Rosemary discovered Ruby had helped to save her puppies, she knew she was the dog for her

Ruby was a rescue dog from Zakynthos, Greece. She ran out in front of a tourist’s car in the mountains in August this year. Thankfully they stopped, and she led them to a cave where she had five puppies that were about four weeks old. The tourist contacted the local rescue centre who took Ruby and her puppies in. I saw her profile on Facebook and immediately fell in love with her. I applied to adopt her, and she was transported to the UK in October.

Her pups wouldn’t have survived if she hadn’t taken action

We’re not sure of her exact age, but the vets have aged her at between one and two years. She is the most lovable dog ever with a fantastic temperament. When I picked her up, she just jumped into my arms, like she knew she was home. I'm forever grateful to the Healing Paws charity for allowing me to adopt her. All of her pups are now also in England and I am in touch with the owners. She had beautiful pups who no doubt would never have survived if she hadn’t taken action when she did.

She has been named after one of her rescuers, who I also keep in touch with. Ruby has changed my life with her lovable ways. She loves her walks and, after having a hip replacement last Christmas Eve, has enabled me to get out as well. My hubby didn't want a dog, but he is so besotted with her now!