Niki adores her kind, caring and hilarious dog Lottie, who never fails to make her smile

Our pooch Lottie has got bucket loads of character. Whenever anyone comes round to visit, she automatically thinks they’re there to see her andgets her toys out to show off!

She’d just lie there with me

When I was off work a couple of years ago, she never left my side. I’d spend all day resting on the sofa and she’d just lie there with me. Lottie has three feline companions who she adores, and regularly tries to round up as though they’re hers to look after.

Victoria gave Ozzy a new home last year, and he’s making each and every day count

Ozzy was surrendered to the vet practice I worked in at 10 months old and needed to be given a second chance. I was hoping to get my first dog since moving out of my family home in summer 2023, but I agreed to take Ozzy on in August 2022 (a year earlier!) and have never looked back.

He is the most intelligent (although he does very often fall off the bed in the middle of the night!), friendly and loving dog I have ever met. He loves coming with me to look after my horse every morning and evening, goes on long walks to lots of different places, and he even went stand up paddle boarding with me the first weekend I had him.

His favourite place to go is the beach, he LOVES going for a swim, a long walk and then finishing with a doggy ice cream. His equal favourite place is in the bed, and at 3am every morning he creeps up from the end of the bed and cuddles up in between me and his dad underneath the duvet. I am new to the county I currently live in, so it has been great fun exploring the countryside with Oz by my side. Our little rescue pup has given us endless fun and I can’t wait for the years ahead with him.

He even went stand up paddle boarding with me the first weekend I had him

Life hasn’t been easy for Abbie, but since Obi came along, he’s made every day feel that little bit brighter

I have a chronic illness, so I suffer daily with chronic pain and fatigue. For a long time, I was depressed and really not enjoying life. But then I got Obi...

He’s the absolute light of my life. My rock. My therapist. My best friend. I couldn't be without him. I knew getting a crazy Border Collie was going to be a challenge alongside living with a chronic illness, but he's been the best decision I've ever made. He gives me purpose. He gives me a reason to get out of bed on a morning. The minute I see his little face waiting for me downstairs, I feel a little less tired and a little less sore.

He gives me a reason to get out of bed on a morning

He's helped me meet so many lovely people in the village where we live, some who have become great friends. I love our long walks through the countryside, our trips to the beach (followed by ice cream, of course) and snuggling on the sofa when the weather isn't so great.

I love his craziness, his will to live, the way he shakes his butt when he gets scratches. His long tongue that he can't keep in his mouth, his cheeky smile, his one-up one-down ears, his beautiful eyes. His 'taps' when you're eating something that he really wants, the way he bounces up and down waiting for me to throw his ball, his wrestling sessions with his best friend Yoshi, his obsession with water and mud (usually the two mixed together), the way he sits and laps up the attention when the village kids come to give him cuddles. I love all of this and more.

He's my gentle giant. Always along for the ride – the highs and the lows. He makes me laugh, brings me joy, teaches me how to live freely and love unconditionally. I don't own him, he owns me.

Lucienne has watched her dog Marley grow from a timid pup into a happy-go-lucky dog, and she couldn’t be prouder.

Marley came into our lives at five months old, as a sensitive but funny pup. He didn't like loud noises and eventually stopped going out for walks in the evening as he was scared of fireworks, and associated them with the dark.

He is a big tail wager, and developed 'Happy Tail Syndrome.' After the third bout, his tail was amputated but this hasn’t stopped him wagging what he has left.

A wonderful, gentle soul

Marley is a wonderful, gentle soul and is the most patient pal to our two children. We now live in the countryside, which means all his fears are easing. He loves his walks and snuggles on the sofa, and apples are his favourite treat.

He truly is a beautiful boy, greying around the face and getting slower over the last few years, but such an important member of our family!

Mell has worked hard to bring her dog Bess out of her shell, and now there’s only one thing that can scare her...

Bess is a rescue Border Collie. We’ve had her for just over two years now. When we first brought her home it was quite difficult, because she wasn’t used to living in a house. She would just hide under the trees in the garden all the time – but now she has fully settled in.

Particularly dislikes the TV show, The Chase

She’s a very gentle dog, and doesn’t bark when you come to the door – rather, she just sits in the hall and waits patiently. She is very afraid of noise and particularly dislikes the TV show, The Chase, and especially Bradley Walsh! I don’t know what it is about him, but every time it comes on she just sits there and shakes.

We’ve bought Bess many toys over the years but she ignores them all, because her favourite thing to play with are flower pots. Bess may have been neglected in the first year of her life, but we make up for it by showering her with endless love and affection every day.

Peanut the Pomeranian suffered from health issues due to his tiny size, but that hasn’t stopped him from keeping Julii on her toes with his antics

Peanut is a Pomeranian who was imported in early 2019, and seized at Dover as he was suspected of being underage and was very poorly, weighing just 0.7kg.

He went to Dogs Trust and received veterinary care, but his importer decided not to claim him, so he was put up for adoption. We went to meet him and decided to adopt him. But two days before I was due to collect him, he collapsed and was found having a seizure in his kennel.

He likes to practice Parkour whenever he sees a chance

He then spent several weeks at vets across Kent where he was tested for everything and finally diagnosed with Toy Dog hypoglycaemia. We fostered him and eventually signed the adoption papers in April 2019.

Peanut is tiny. He weighs 2.6kg, has a massive coat and likes to practice Parkour whenever he sees a chance. He’s already had to go to the emergency vets following a fall from a windowsill and a coffee table (twice!).

He is cheeky and a proper handful to train. He flies at the TV if they dare to put an animal on it and he is very high maintenance. But he is also very loving, he likes to be read a story (he tends to join in with his own comments!) and he has a wicked sense of humour. I can’t imagine life without him.