Both Jo and her daughter feel eternally grateful for the happiness Oreo has brought into their lives

Oreo is an absolute pleasure to share our lives with. She recently lost her best friend Willow, a Bernese Mountain Dog, and it has taken her a good six months to get back to being her usual happy self.

Love certainly is a wet nose, slobbery kisses and a wagging tail

She’s my daughter’s best friend and they are inseparable. The bond between them is beautiful and we struggle to imagine what life will be like without her. We know that as a giant breed she’s now an old lady, but the joy she brings us all is beyond words.

We feel truly honoured to have Oreo in our lives and we treasure every day we spend with her. Love certainly is a wet nose, slobbery kisses and a wagging tail.

Despite Lulu’s barking, shedding and laziness, Rob and his family couldn’t imagine life without her

This is Lulu. We got her from a rescue centre a few years ago after she'd clearly had quite a rough time with a breeder who'd definitely over-bred her. She just looked so sad when we saw her, and the kids fell in love with her on the first meeting.

She thinks she's a lot smaller than she is

We'd vowed to get a small to medium-sized dog, and she is NOT that! She's lazy as hell, she sheds everywhere, she barks too much for no reason, she has the most evil farts and she’s now a bit incontinent, but we love her to bits.

We even love it when she climbs up on the sofa between us, when there clearly isn't enough room for her. She thinks she's a lot smaller than she is, bless her!

Mika came into Diane’s life with various behavioural issues due to her difficult past, but now she’s finally living the life she deserves

Mika is a rescue dog. After we lost our last dog, I felt I needed someone else to cuddle. My husband said we were too old for a puppy, so we went to the RSPCA.

The kennels opened and out came a few dogs all barking ‘TAKE ME, TAKE ME’, except for one who was looking and sniffing, without barking. ‘That’s the one’, I said.

We were told she was used to kill badgers as a job. She wasn’t a pet, so she’d had no interaction with people, no affection, and she’d been trained not to bark as that could have alerted the badgers. She has a tattoo in her ear related to the organisation she belonged to. She also has a split tongue and a few teeth missing.

She’s become very loving and sleeps by my side

Mika had various problems that we’ve overcome. For instance, she had no fear of other dogs, however huge they were, and used to take balls from their mouths. She wasn’t affectionate, and she was very difficult to feed. In fact, she would sometimes go a day or more without food, so we had to visit the vet every week to get her weight taken.

Now, she’s become very loving and sleeps by my side. She walks so close to me, I could almost fall over her. We changed her diet, so she’s put on weight, but she still doesn’t get on with other dogs if she’s on a lead. We’ve have had her for seven years now – it’s been a bit scary at times, but well worth it.

No matter what life throws at them, Jerry and owner Ruth can always find strength in each other

We adopted Jerry, an emergency rescue dog who was a bad way after being cruelly treated. Since then, he has come on leaps and bounds.

He’s been a real lifeline to me

He’s very sociable and friendly with other dogs and people and has been a real lifeline to me, especially when my husband passed away from cancer. He gives me a reason to get up and brings me such joy. He is also a brilliant guard dog, as well as being so loving and caring. He loves backs rubs – and running 40 laps around the garden!

After joining Julie’s family during the pandemic, Amber has quickly adapted to their active lifestyle, offering endless cuddles and support

Amber joined our family in May 2020, just after the first Covid-19 lockdown. She made our Sprocker very happy as we had lost her previous companion in February. She had been a farm dog with two previous owners and she had never had a collar or been walked on a lead, so she was a little barrel on legs!

She has been a godsend to our family

She soon adapted to our active lifestyle, enjoying Canicross, hiking, canoeing and camping. Although she is not a trained therapy dog, she has been a godsend to our family – always there for a cuddle, looking out for us and keeping us happy all the time.

Her favourite things are sleeping in the full washing basket and lying upside down for belly rubs. She also forms the Canicross dream team with my youngest son and they have a magical bond.

Despite her sprightly nature, Lola still loves snuggling up with Elisabeth at the end of an action-packed day

Lola is a live wire who’s full of energy, like many Lurchers. We adopted her as a small puppy and she’s now nine years old.

She’s full of energy, like many Lurchers

We go most places together and she loves going to pubs, restaurants, cafes etc. She enjoys lying there on a mat, just being with us. She also loves cuddling up on the sofa.

Lola is a home girl. She currently shares her home with a relative’s Whippet, Lexi, who we look after during the day when her owner is at work. They get on well and race around together at a similar pace. Lola snorts and dreams when she’s asleep, so she twitches a lot, which is always funny.