At a stressful time in her life, Paula knew she could rely on her dog Oscar to help her feel better

Five years ago, I was the victim of an armed robbery attack at my workplace. I was left badly shaken and very frightened. As soon as I was brought home from the police station, Oscar came to me and sat with me, and when I went to change from my uniform he followed me closely.

He’d stay close by my side

Not long after the incident, my dad had to go and visit my mum in hospital, which meant leaving me home alone. Oscar lay beside me the couch for the entire time dad was away. And, for the whole week I was off work Oscar followed me around the house, sitting in the bathroom doorway and sleeping right beside me every night. Even when we were out on a walk, he’d stay close by my side if someone came towards us.

Throughout the months it took me to recover Oscar was there – and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

Chloe went to the pub one night and came home with a dog – all because she couldn’t stand watching Bailey suffer at the hands of her former owner

I met Bailey in the local pub when she was brought in by her previous owner. She was a five-month-old purebred Labrador, but she looked about 12 weeks old. She was skin and bone and she looked exhausted. I offered her some chips from my plate and a drink of my water, but her owner told me not to feed her. He said she’d had her weekly feed as she poops in the house otherwise.

She has made me a dog person

Bailey kept coming back to me while we were in the pub. I think she saw me as her safety net. The owner kept grabbing her by her scruff and dragging her back to him, but she kept wanting to cuddle up to me.

I offered to buy her from him as he had mentioned he works 12-hour days and leaves her all day. I bought her then and there, and she came home with me that evening. She’s been mine ever since and she’s made mine and my partner’s lives wonderful.

She’s got such a wicked personality in comparison to the exhausted, malnourished puppy we met in the pub. She’s insanely clever and LOVES eating squares of cheese! She has made me a dog person and I would never be without her. I’m so thankful I went for a drink that night.

Dexter has perked up Elaine’s home life with his cheeky grin and outdoor escapades.

After losing my previous Labrador after 13 and a half years, life was far too quiet. Enter Dexter to shake it up again – a loveable, cheeky, friendly puppy who’s now seven months old now. He's very loyal, loves to please and will do anything for a hot dog sausage. He loves to play ball, chase the birds, collect sticks and run in the fields. Then its home for a bath and some chill out time on his sun lounger. With Dexter, life is now rich again and far from quiet!

With Dexter, life is rich again and far from quiet!

Whether he’s making them laugh or helping them recover from surgery, Riley is always there for Abbigail and her family

My dog Riley is the love of my life. From the moment we met him, he was so quirky. He tried to run off down the farm rather than say hello to his new owners, but he still fell asleep in our laps on the way home.

He is such a lovable dog, always asking for attention or cuddles and he plays just like a toddler! He’s helped our family through so much. For instance, when he was a puppy, I had broken my arm and he helped it heal quicker because I was so eager to play with him that I started regaining the use of the muscles I’d lost. So much so that I didn’t even need physio after healing because Riley had already helped me gain my muscle back.

He’s helped our family through so much

My mom has also had major surgery twice and both times he was there for her, cuddling her and being gentle when she comes home, and watching her every move when she is ill – this includes warning everyone about the postman!

He sounds like a very large dog from his bark but anyone who has met Riley would know he’s very lovable. All he wants to do is say hello and give cuddles to anyone. He is so special and a big part of our family. He gets gifts at Christmas and on his birthday and signs cards for the rest of the family for their birthdays. He is always so energetic and happy, which just makes you smile. Riley is my positive outlook on the world, and I don’t know where I would be without him.

After a turbulent start in life, Chubbs finally found a home when Vicki and her family came to visit his rescue centre

Chubbs is a black and white rescue dog, a Staffy Collie cross, who originally hailed from Ireland. His Mum was a stray, who was taken into MADRA, with a litter of eight puppies in August 2019.

Chubbs was originally rehomed to a lovely family but sadly their circumstances changed and a few months later they had to give him back. He was then transferred to Birmingham Dogs Home in Wolverhampton for rehoming in the UK, and his siblings went to homes in Galway, the Midlands and Dublin.

Our daughter works at BDH Wolverhampton and we’d spent a long time deciding whether getting a dog was right for us. One day we went to visit her at work and the rest, as they say, is history!

He’s made our world complete

There was this beautiful floof of a pup, sat looking goofy in his window. We walked past him several times and each time he caught our eye. We looked at lots of residents that day, but it was Chubbs that tugged our heartstrings the most. So, a week later, we drove home with our new family member.

I was intrigued to know more about him, and through the power of Facebook, I was also able to trace some of his siblings. We still exchange messages with their owners today!

He was called Chubbs as a pup, and though we toyed with other names, it didn’t seem quite right to change. He’s VERY food oriented, and as I always say, ‘Chubbs by name and nature’.

I said that Chubbs is a ‘rescue’, but what I didn’t make clear is that he also rescued us. He’s brought so much love and happiness into our lives. We now have a purpose – a reason to get up, a reason to go out in all weathers, a reason to explore new dog-friendly places and a reason to rush home as soon as we can for more love, fun and adventure. He’s made our world complete.

Daisy brings owner Lynn so much joy each and every day, and she’s even friends with the cat.

Daisy is a Jack Russell and a total bundle of joy. She makes me laugh out loud many times a day. Her favourite trick is early in the morning – as soon as she knows we are awake she sneaks out of her bed searching for socks to steal. She then rushes outside and takes the socks for a tour of the garden. She then comes in and sits by the cupboard where her treats are waiting for an exchange!

She makes me laugh out loud many times a day

Beside socks she steals pencils, letters and we have to warn workmen that she will steal tools. In the evening she climbs on my knee so she can be nursed like a baby.

Daisy loves Tasha, our 17-year-old cat, and is always following her round the garden, and if she’s not on my knee she’s next to Tasha on the settee. I’m truly blessed to have a lovely little dog called Daisy.