With Max around, Barry doesn’t get much peace and quiet – but he wouldn’t have it any other way

Max is my West Highland Terrier. He’s always making us laugh, especially when he tries to be at one with nature – he spends hours watching the birds in our birdbath, and loves playing with the squirrels in the garden.

He likes to keep me company on the charity walks that I take part in. Last year, my wife and I completed a 16-mile walk for the British Heart Foundation. We came home absolutely shattered, but energetic Max lay down for a grand total of 10 minutes, before running around like a sprinter again! This year, I’ve completed a 3.4 million step challenge for Diabetes UK, with my little mate Max by my side all the way.

Max gets excited by anything and everything

Max gets excited by anything and everything, which is a joy to see. The first time he visited the beach, he ran around and around in circles, to the point where my wife was crying with laughter! When he first saw snow he rolled over until he was soaked through – he just has so much energy and finds happiness in everything.

He makes us smile every day. One of the things he loves most is cuddling with his mum (my wife). He’ll jump up and paw at her until she gives in and lets him flop onto her lap. He gets jealous when we’re snuggled up without him, and will even wedge his way in-between us so as not to miss out!

Petal might be small, and not as young as she used to be, but she’s still making the most out of her life with Emma

Petal is a 17-year-old mini Jack Russell, tiny even by Jack Russell standards. She's so petite that we think there may be some chihuahua in her.

She might be ancient, but she's still got it! Her gait is most accurately described as a sassy strut. She's still in the prime of her life as far as she's concerned. Being old hasn't diminished her joy for chasing squirrels in the park, or even her own tail.

Because she's so small, she has to make a jump over the back doorstep to come in from the garden. She always completes her jump with stylish aplomb, reminiscent of a show jumping horse.

She might be ancient, but she's still got it!

Her seniority has inevitably led to her having a few less teeth compared with when she was a youngster. This means she's particularly fond of her Winalot gravy satchets because she finds the food not only tasty, but also very easy to eat. She gets excited when she sees the sachets appear at dinnertime and, without fail, does her 'hurry up and feed me' bark whilst waiting for her bowl to be filled.

She lives with CC, an 11-year-old chocolate Labrador, and they are the best of friends. She likes snuggling up to CC for naps. But Petal is the boss, and she has no qualms reminding CC of this as and when required.

A few years ago, she was lucky enough to win first place in the Dog with Best Personality category at a local Fun Day Dog Contest. One of her prizes was a tennis ball and thrower but the ball was a bit too big for her. She had no problems passing it on to CC as a consolation prize. But she's far less generous when it comes to her sharing her dinner!

Petal may be small, but she has a huge personality that lights up any room. She is a cute little bundle of fun and love who brings a great deal of joy to all of us that have the good fortune to share our lives with her.

Whether Mishka is stealing clothes or making people smile, she always brightens Samantha’s day

Mishka is my beautiful seven-year-old British Timber Dog. She was the world's naughtiest puppy and managed to destroy three sofas and hundreds of socks in her younger days, but it just made her all the more adorable.

Mishka brings a smile to everyone

Unfortunately, she’s been unwell over the past few years, but she’s still the sweetest, most affectionate girl. Mishka brings a smile to everyone and is adored by her family. When we’re out and about she manages to make friends with strangers, who always seem happy to be greeted with such a cute bundle of fluff.

This last year has been tough for us all, and we’re so proud of the way Mishka has helped people to smile through even the most challenging of times.

Bibi brings endless joy to Lisa’s life, and she’s also been great at helping her son with his epilepsy

Bibi is an absolute joy! She is a rescue pooch from Bulgaria, and we’ve had her for five years now. She was found on the streets with seven other pups. We saw her and wanted to give her the life she deserves.

She’s a beautiful angel that’s been sent from heaven

She’s very shy but since we’ve had our new puppy Bonnie she’s really come out of her shell. When she first arrived, she’d never seen traffic, a TV or dog toys before – everything was new to her.

My son was diagnosed with epilepsy five years ago and she always knew when he was going to have a seizure. While he was having one, she would lay by his bedroom door and bark and then lie on him. Honestly, she’s a beautiful angel that’s been sent from heaven. She’s gorgeous inside and out. We spoil her so much and she deserves it.

When Bonnie was injured, Marnie-Jaine couldn’t stop worrying about her wellbeing – but Eevee soon bounded into their lives and made everything better.

Eevee is a Springer Spaniel who came into our lives last year. She filled a hole we didn't even know we had with her adorable ways, which include falling asleep with a tennis ball in her mouth. She even helps me with my anxiety attacks.

Eevee loves Bonnie

One day, before we got Eevee, we were outside with our other dog Bonnie, a (then) eight-year-old Rough Coated Collie. She was over the field chasing her ball and running around, when all of a sudden fell to the ground. After taking her to the vets, we found out she’d ruptured her tendon and there wasn’t much the vet could do. We were told she would be able to walk again, but that she’d have a limp. During this time, Bonnie was clearly in pain and began to withdraw from us, spending all her time alone.

When we got Eevee a few months later, Bonnie was still struggling and hardly putting any weight onto her leg. Eevee loves Bonnie, and so kept making her play with her regardless of her protests – tug of war, rough and tumble, you name it, they played all day long. This meant Bonnie started strengthening her leg, and within a few months she was walking around again without a limp. Best of all, she had returned to her happy, outgoing self.

Bruno has been helping Rachel and her family heal after the tragic loss of their previous pup

Bruno is my whole life! In April 2020, at the beginning of Covid, we were lucky enough to become paw-rents to Barnum, our first Newfoundland. Our love for Barnum was instantaneous and we enjoyed watching him grow. But just after he celebrated his first birthday, he became ill with a large tumour in his liver. We had no choice but to put him to sleep. My heart broke.

I never imagined my heart would ever heal, or that I’d be able to be happy again. But in May 2021, Bruno was born. Sadly, his mum passed away from heart failure after a c-section, so he was hand reared, and I knew I would have to be an extra special mama to him.

Eight weeks later, he came to live with us in Scotland. My very broken heart was about to start healing. From the first moment I saw Bruno, I knew Barnum had sent him to help me heal. It was instant love, and it has grown every day.

Bruno is 22 months old now and is the most gentle and loving dog. He knows when I’m sad and he’s always there to make me happy. Even when I’m happy, he has the ability to make me happier. He has healed our hearts and makes us smile every day.

He’s the sweetest puppy, but he weighs in at 66kg, so his zoomies are something special, especially when he’s running over for a cuddle. He loves to kiss, cuddle and sit on our feet – or sometimes even our knees! He’s the biggest bundle of love and I love absolutely everything about him. His love is special – there are no words to describe it.

He has healed our hearts