Life hasn’t always been easy for Shauna, but luckily every day has been a little bit sunnier since Mango came along

I have severe endometriosis and fibromyalgia and had to have a full hysterectomy three years ago at age 32. I have no children and unfortunately will be unable to have any now. My mental health suffered as a result of this and other ongoing chronic illnesses, so in July 2021, I adopted Mango from Romania using a charity called EuroPaws.

I saw one photo of her prior to her arriving from Romania, and I went to collect her at 4am, straight from the van she’d just spend four days travelling in. Out came the most beautiful girl, and as soon as I had her in my arms, I fell madly in love with her. From that day ‘til now, 13 months later, I can honestly say every day has been better because of her.

Every day has been better because of her

She has such a wonderful personality and has bonded with me so completely that people comment on it regularly. She is my best friend and my reason to get up in the morning. She sleeps in the funniest positions, gets beyond excited when she sees her doggy friends, talks to me in grumble noises when it’s time for us to go to bed and LOVES a walking adventure.

She goes everywhere with me. We love to explore all over Scotland, and she adores lying in her bed in the passenger seat of the car while I drive. She’s the laziest dog in the mornings and has been known to not go for a pee until 5pm because she’s too lazy to walk down the stairs. She also has huge ears to match her huge personality and everyone who meets her falls in love with her.

I truly feel she was meant to be mine and we’re so perfectly suited to each other. She really is my child replacement, and I wouldn’t be without her now. She’s my happy place!

Shandy may be a rescue dog, but she’s saved her owner Paula in so many ways

I rescued Shandy from Spain. She was a street dog, and some ex-pats in the village found her and took her to the local rescue centre. When I heard her story, I knew she deserved a safe and loving home with us.

Our dog has completed our family

She has long legs and almost trots when running. She won't eat her food unless I say it's OK and she’s so gentle with our other tiny rescue dog, it makes my heart sing to watch them play and have fun!

Shandy has boosted my mental health. I was feeling pretty low after losing my job, but the long walks we take together have been so good for both of us. Our dog has completed our family and watching her grow more confident every day has been a joy for us all.

Daisy has given her owner Bridget a new lease of life, and even helped her to make a new friend or two

Daisy came to us when we were just retired. We used to have a dog when our children were small and I was at home with them, so we knew how much joy they could bring to our lives.

Taking Daisy out for walks has helped us to meet lots of new people. She gets walked twice daily, which forces us to keep active and enjoy some fresh air every day, even when it’s cold and wet.

Helped us to meet lots of new people

Now our grandchildren are going to universities across the country and our children are busy working, we don’t see so much of them. Daisy fills this void and gives us lots of cuddles and love. She loves riding in cars, especially our Morris 1000! She also makes us laugh endlessly. It’s hard to imagine how we managed for all those years without a dog.

Grief is an overwhelming thing. But, by simply being by her side, Hero has been an invaluable source of comfort for Julie.

Hero, a rescue dog, came into my life after my husband died. I took him in initially to be part of the family and to train up at agility.

But dealing with the death of my husband then took its toll on me and I now find life very hard to deal with. There is so much that I feel unable to do without support – and that support is coming from all my dogs, but especially Hero who is constantly by my side.

It’s almost as if we’re healing each other

He reads my emotions and responds in the way he feels best. He is now on the way to becoming my emotional support dog. He was such a mess when I took him on, it’s almost as if we’re healing each other. With his help, I hope to get back some normality and I eventually want to see him compete with the rest of our dogs in agility.

With Tyler’s help, Harry has transformed from a neglected rescue dog to a cheeky little chap, enjoying his senior years

We adopted Harry roughly two months ago from Dogs Trust and, since having him in our life, we feel whole.

Harry hadn’t had the easiest start. When he was first donated to Dogs Trust, he was so matted that they didn’t even know if he was a boy or girl. Our poor baby was known as Harriet for a while, until his matted fur was shaved, and they discovered he was in fact a boy!

We like to think it’s us who saved him, but I think it’s the other way round!

From the first photo we saw of Harry, we knew we had to make him part of our family. It didn’t matter to us that he was an older dog. I think it bothered him more when he had to suffer several hour-long trips back and forth to have six of his teeth removed – he hated the car more than the dentist!

Harry has settled in well at home and he completes our family. He is super cheeky and will do anything for a treat. He’ll jump, walk on two legs, doggy paddle with his paws and occasionally try to sneak food off our plates. Being old, he can’t walk too far, but he gets super excited when his dad comes home from work and zooms around the house like a baby. Often when we do go on walks, he will refuse to walk home and has to be carried like a new-born – I think he definitely weighs more though!

We are so grateful that Harry is part of our family. He has brought happiness and wholesomeness to our hearts. We like to think it’s us who saved him, but I think it’s the other way round!

Rocco provided Taryn with the love and support she needed to get back on her feet.

Shortly after Rocco was gifted to me as a Valentine’s Day present, I underwent major knee surgery, resulting in me having to learn to walk again rather than devoting my full attention to my puppy. As I regained my mobility, Rocco was a vital part of my recovery, providing unconditional love and support along with companionship when I was back on my feet.

Rocco was a vital part of my recovery

Earlier this year, as a personal challenge I committed to walking 100,000 steps in seven days for charity. It doesn’t sound like a lot but it was incredibly challenging for me to do, and my hound was with me every step of the way. He joined in the early morning walks when he would prefer to be snoozing in bed, he trotted alongside me each lunchtime delaying his set time for dog biscuits, and he continued with me every evening exploring each new location I took him to. At the end of the week, I had done 4000 extra steps and Rocco had earned consecutive exercise badges on his doggy fitness tracker attached to his collar.