As laidback and low maintenance as they come, Lulu the Maltese has fitted perfectly into Caroline and her partner’s busy lives

Our Maltese, Lulu, brings us such joy every day. We both work long hours as a chef and housekeeper, and Lulu is happy to wait for us in our flat, sleeping during the day or quietly entertaining herself with all her toys.

She loves to lie at the top of our staircase, waiting for us to climb to the top to and rub her stomach before she stretches awake. She even has her own mini staircase to climb onto our sofa and our bed at night. She insists on sleeping right at the top of the bed in between the two of us, and never wakes up before we do.

She just likes being with us

We both suffer from allergies and don’t have always have time to take her for very long walks, but we chose her breed as she’s hypoallergenic and very happy with just a short walk and play. She doesn’t often need to be entertained and never really demands attention. She just likes being with us, and we love having her to cuddle and laugh with. She’s always in a good mood!

We always plan our day off around her and she always comes with us on car journeys around the UK during our holidays. She loves an adventure, but also loves to lie down and do nothing sometimes, too.

Maya has been the driving force behind many significant milestones in Katie’s life, from learning to drive to buying her first flat

Maya is the light of my life. I had wanted a dog for years, but my landlords had a strict no pet policy, which led to me saving to buy my first flat. Fast forward to June 2017, and I had been in the flat for just one week when I went to the local dog rescue centre for a ‘look around’. I was introduced to Maya, a three-year-old Brindle Lurcher who had been there over three months. We took her into a field and even though she was off lead, she walked so close to heel that her feet were catching the back of my sandals.

It was love at first sight and she came home the next day. From day one, me and Maya had an inexplicable bond. I couldn’t drive when I got her, but taking her on public transport was tricky as she was quite large and nervous. So, I learnt to drive and bought my first car, all for her. In 2019, we decided we absolutely needed a garden to relax in. So, once again motivated by my love for Maya, I sold up and bought a house with a garden.

She is the best decision I have ever made

Maya has now been with me for five years, and without doubt, she is the best decision I have ever made. During the pandemic, she was my friend, my confidant, my dance partner, my reason to go outside, my zoom quiz partner, my bubble. She's lazy, so I'm lucky to get her out of bed before 11am some days. And she's a dawdler, so I spend 90% of our walks waiting for her to catch up. She's also a fuss pot and she won't eat her biscuits for days on end, but will happily scoff a six day old sausage roll that she finds on the floor.

Maya wouldn't hurt a fly, so her sighthound skills leave a lot to be desired. She walks straight past rabbits without a care in the world and wakes me up crying at 2am if there is a spider. She was once backed into a corner in my friend’s kitchen by a three-legged cat with no tail. All of these gorgeous and hilarious quirks make her the little individual that she is, and more importantly, make me the luckiest person alive.

Heather has adopted many Miniature Schnauzer’s in her lifetime, but few live up to Bella Bear

We rescue female Miniature Schnauzer dogs from puppy farms. Over the past 20 years, we’ve rescued 16 – each with their own set of fears, neuroses, strange habits and physical problems after years in the most dreadful environments.

Two years ago, we suddenly lost a very young rescue who had a heart murmur. I looked online and saw that there was a nine-month-old Miniature Schnauzer in a rescue in Wales. On the hottest day of the year, we travelled 300 miles to get her and 300 miles to bring her home. Since that day she has delighted us with her youth, her love for everyone and her exuberance for life.

She is a true joy

She is always happy. She insists on cuddling and playing with the four much older dogs we have and they seem to forget their traumas and woes when they’re around her. She patrols the garden endlessly to ensure no pigeon, jackdaw, or rook lands. But she’ll give robins and blackbirds safe access. She insists on taking out a soft toy every time she goes into the garden. But she always leaves them there. She greets us with squeals of delight even if we’ve only been gone for five minutes. She sleeps between us on her own pillow, never moving, but pressing against my back as though to say ‘I’ve got you’. Everyone loves Bella Bear. Although we don’t seek a reward for rescuing these dogs, I believe she is our reward for looking after all our ‘damaged’ girls over the years. She is a true joy.

Bryn came into Amy’s life when she needed him most, and now she can’t imagine even a day without him

We have a long, emotional story, but I will try to keep it short. I got Bryn when I was going through a bad time personally. My whole world fell apart – job, house and marriage – and he really did keep me living. We soon became inseparable and I began to find myself again. He kept me on my toes with his mischievous ways and made me laugh every day.

Living our best life

In 2015 Bryn was diagnosed with epilepsy (a strange coincidence, as I also have epilepsy). At first I thought I was going to lose him, but after a few weeks of meds, I started to see the old Bryn return. Since then, we’ve been living our best life, climbing mountains, moving out of our old town and eventually getting my dream job working with animals (Bryn comes to work with me!).

In the last couple of years Bryn’s condition has got worse, but I have been so lucky to be able to take him to work with me so I don’t worry about leaving him alone. I very rarely go anywhere without him.

Harley has helped Rachel enormously with her mental health struggles, but he has also caused plenty of mischief with his escape tactics

Harley is a Giant Schnauzer crossed with a German Shorthaired Pointer. My husband got him when we found out I was pregnant with my third child, as I already had a six-month-old baby and I was suffering from both pre-natal and post-natal depression. Harley was my distraction and my positive ten minutes of training a day.

Our walks always get me out of the house. And on the days I don’t want to go out, he’s with me in the house with the babies! He keeps me grounded and gives me a break when I take him walking. We’ve even started mountain climbing as a family with Harley and the children.

He can flip his cage and squeeze out of the bottom!

He’s also a Houdini! I’ve never known a dog like him. I padlock his cage in two places overnight because he’s obsessed with licking the butter dish, and he can flip his cage and squeeze out of the bottom!

He’s obsessed with food, especially burgers and sausages, and he’s amazing with the children. My one-year-old will pass him DVDs off our stand one by one, and he brings them to me in his mouth and then goes back for more to play with her! He’s changed our lives so much.

Adele may not be Leo’s owner, but he has had a huge impact on her life – even helping her to recover from a recent hip operation

This is my grand-dog, Leo. My son and his partner own him, but we look after him frequently while they are at work. As soon as they got him, I instantly bonded with him. He’s a Shiba Inu, a very funny, quirky breed. This is very apt, as my eldest son lives and works in Japan.

When Leo sees you, it’s like you’re the only person in his life – his whole body wags and he smiles. He doesn’t bark, just woofs and makes a strange whining noise. He doesn’t like water at all, so he has to be carried over puddles and he always walks around large areas of water. He also loves to be brushed as he has lots of thick fur. Once you start, he just lays upside down, literally smiling.

I recently had my hip replaced. On the evening I came home, my son brought him round. He jumped on the bed and just lay at my side, looking up and smiling. He knew he couldn’t jump on me. I call him my therapy dog. He has helped no end in my recovery. I walk him with my husband on my sticks, and if I stop, he stops.

He's very stubborn, and if he doesn’t want to walk, he often has to be carried home. He’s definitely a magnet for affection. Everyone thinks we are walking a fox. He loves everyone and just wants to play with every dog he meets. Shibas are renowned for their lack of recall, but we’ve had no problems with Leo at all. He loves his ball, which has helped with that.

Leo is not a morning dog. He loves to sleep and comes to life later in the day. My son also has two cats who came first, so Leo had to adapt and often slept in their basket with them. He thinks they are dogs and tries to mouth them. One can tolerate it, but the other doesn’t. He knows his place! They often sleep side by side and it’s lovely to see.

I’ve never had dogs before, but I totally understand why people have them. He has brought so much happiness to our family. Such a lovely cuddly teddy bear.

He has brought so much happiness to our family