Mandy adores the way Orrin takes care of everyone around him

Orrin is my rock. I suffer from panic attacks and whenever I feel one coming on, he’s always there to ground me until I have it under control. He’s also a blood donor and has saved many lives over the years. My dog is so compassionate, he’ll care for anyone who needs him.

One night, we were called to the vets as they needed blood urgently. When we arrived they were very busy, so we sat quietly in a corner and waited. We saw a distressed lady come in with her ill dog. The nurses all rushed to the dog and left the lady alone, so Orrin went up to her and quietly put his head in her lap until she calmed down a little. He came back over to me eventually, but I could tell he was keeping his eye on her the whole time.

He’ll care for anyone who needs him

A little while later, the same thing happened with someone else and again, Orrin made it his mission to make sure they were ok. Everyone in the vets soon started to realise what he was doing and some of the staff even had tears in their eyes.

After he gave blood, he refused to leave until we’d checked on the two people he’d helped. Orrin truly is my very special boy.

Soldier is always inspiring Vicky with his determination to live a normal life, despite his disability

Soldier amazes me on a daily basis because he lives life as if he’s ‘normal’. Our story together started when he was just five weeks old. He was born with a spinal defect and couldn’t use his hind legs normally, so he wasn’t able to walk.

As I own a canine hydrotherapy centre with physiotherapists, we thought we could help. However, after weeks and weeks of hard work, Soldier still couldn’t walk normally. So eventually we decided to have a set of wheels made in America that were specially measured for him. Twelve months later, he is now on his big boy wheels and doing amazingly. He can use his back legs sporadically, which helps him move along at some speed!

All I see is a dog full of light who’s just living his best life

Soldier absolutely loves his independence on wheels. He keeps up with our other dogs with absolutely no problems. When he comes out on walks, he never gets left behind and is definitely the happiest boy I’ve come across!

Some people pass us and tut or say ‘poor dog’ but all I see is a dog full of light who doesn’t know any different and is just living his best life. He runs through fields and woodlands, and paddles in rivers and lakes. He still loves to swim too – I just put him in a life jacket, lift him out of his wheels and let him go.

Soldier won’t have a long life, but we make the most of every day together. And for as long as he’s not in pain, he’ll continue to be my superhero!

Sabina’s husband didn’t want a dog, but then Buckley came into their lives and changed everything for the better

After many years of begging my husband for a dog, he finally relented. He always said if we were to get a dog, it would have to be a Jack Russell. I didn't argue! Buckley was like a wrecking ball. He moved in and stole our hearts.

I'm still working full time and my husband is retired. Little did I know what my boys were up to while I was at work. Now, thanks to my dearest husband, Buckley will only eat if he's fed with a fork! When his food is in his bowl, he’ll nudge one of us until we get up and feed him. If we ignore him, he gives us a pretend nip and vocally argues until we feed him. I was furious with my husband, but alas, what’s done is done.

Buckley has brought so much love and fun to our lives. He’s a very active doggy and goes out on adventures four or five times a day. He loves riding in my car and will push his nose out of the window for some fresh air – while strapped to his booster seat, of course.

Buckley also loves the ladies. In fact, he can be very amorous, to the point where most female dogs will run away while he's left howling like a wolf. He also loves mucky puddles, and he’s a regular snorkeler. He blows bubbles in the puddles, then tries to catch them while I stand in the rain, wet through.

I’m a nurse and the last three years have been extremely stressful. I also lost my dad in April last year and was unable to attend the funeral. Buckley has really helped me and my family through these rough times. No matter what I'm feeling on any given day, coming home to him makes everything better. I truly believe he was meant to be ours! And I wouldn't change him for the world.

Coming home to him makes everything better

Coco was a totally unexpected addition to Irene’s life, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way

I found Coco completely by accident. I went to see some puppies with my sister and nieces one day and came out with a puppy of my own. I hadn’t even really thought much about getting a dog, but I got lucky as Coco is the funniest, kindest and cheekiest dog ever!

She can understand commands in three languages: English, Spanish and Italian. But she chooses when to pay attention to them, no matter the language. She doesn’t do many tricks but has some funny habits.

She can understand commands in three languages

In the evenings, she always expects her teeth to be cleaned after her last walk of the day. When you tell her 'teeth time', she jumps on the sofa and waits patiently while we clean her teeth, put her paw balm on and brush her fur. She is a very good walker, but when she gets tired, she finds the closest bus stop and sits down, expecting to jump on the next bus – she always needs to have the window seat!

Coco makes everyone's lives better. My mum was never a fan of dogs, but she is now totally besotted and makes amazing outfits for Coco (she is the most stylish dog we know). Although getting Coco wasn’t a premeditated decision, I have zero regrets and am glad I had that moment of madness.

Somehow, I also think it was meant to be, as my dad always loved dogs and had many while growing up. But when he married my mum, he had to give them up. He died of Covid in 2020, and in some ways, I think Coco is the dog he was always meant to have.

Molly and Poppy are happy helpers for school chaplain Alison, and the pupils love them too

I have two border collie dogs: Poppy (who is 11years old) and Molly (8 months). Molly was a lockdown rescue pup when her owners bought her then decided not to have her! I am a Chaplain in a school and take both dogs in with me every day.

Poppy and Molly deserve a treat!

They are great pastoral assistants! Poppy is a big teddy bear who loves to be hugged, Molly is a mischief and allows some of our ‘naughtier’ children to relate to her! We’ve worked all the way through the lockdown and Poppy and Molly deserve a treat!

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.