Joel loves how adventurous his dog Paddington is – she’s always out and about exploring and helping with the farm work.

Paddington love climbing trees, roofs, ladders – basically anything! She was named after Paddington Bear and she definitely lives up to the legacy.

She has her own routine!

She loves spending time on our farm helping with digging or driving the tractors.  She has her own routine of following different people around, depending who needs her help.

We call her a ‘free-range’ dog because she has her own life and we are just here to provide her with treats and food!

Victoria’s anxiety has often made everyday life a challenge, but Dali is always there to lighten the load

As someone who has suffered with social anxiety for many years, Dali has always been there for me, whether he’s accompanying me to shops, or sitting with me when I'm tearful.

Dali suffers from bad arthritis in his legs, so he has to travel by buggy now. But no matter what, he’s always a happy waggy dog who never leaves my side.

Dali has an amazing personality and one of his favourite things to do is sing to music! He howls away to his favourite singers, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Little Mix. He’s the best little thing to ever happen to me.

He’s the best little thing to ever happen to me

Jacqui’s life was turned upside down when her husband was diagnosed with COVID-19. But thankfully Pepsi has been there every step of the way.

Pepsi is a 9-month-old female border collie. We knew that she was a great dog, but she really proved that when Walt, my ambulance technician partner, got COVID-19. I'm a community nurse so I looked after him at home for four days. Pepsi sat on the decking below his bedroom window listening to him cough. He was so ill that he was unable to move. She couldn't understand what was happening.

After four days, he really deteriorated and was admitted to a hospital 80 miles away. I was lost. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again alive. I didn't want to get up – the days were too long and scary. However, I knew Pepsi needed me so we sat in the garden and played ball. If I cried after seeing Walt on a videocall she would jump up and cuddle me.

Life is on the up again

Walt began to give up the fight in the hospital. He hated being away from us and he was so ill with the constant cough and fatigue. We sent videos of the dog and encouraged him to stay strong so he could come home to his ‘therapet’ (we always called her that). When he was finally discharged, she rarely left his side and I know he needed her every bit as much as he needed me to nurse him.

Now, Pepsi is his reason to fight the fatigue and get out. She has recently learned to swim, so we go places where Walt can just sit and watch her play.

I know every dog is their owner’s best friend but Pepsi is an ace dog who has really earned her ‘therapet’ nickname. We love her. She loves us. Life is on the up again.

Mell is so proud of how much Bess has grown in confidence

Bess was a rescue from the Border Collie Trust. She is very quietand a little timid, but she’s still adored by everyone who meets her. When she first arrived, she was afraid of everything, and although she still doesn’t like fireworks or loud noises, she’s come out of her shell a lot. Now she even allows strangers to strokeher, which is a good thing because everyone who meets her can’t seem to stay away!

She’s come out of her shell

Her favorite pastime is playing with plastic flower pots and racing around the garden.She is such a great dog and has helped us all to get through lockdown with her gentlenessand patience.

Sharon has a soft spot for Mabel the mischief maker.

Mabel is a blonde bundle of fluffy fun, with a laid-back personality. She loves everyone and she thinks that everyone automatically loves her!

She thinks that everyone automatically loves her!

I love that she is a bit of a monkey, who totally doesn’t care if she has done something wrong. She just looks at you with her big brown eyes as if to say ‘what’s the problem?’

My favourite thing to do is cuddle her, as well as teaching her new tricks. Now she can high-five, beg, give a paw and roll over.

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.