Pebble came into Linda’s life exactly when she needed her, and she’s made every day a little brighter since

Pebble is my little furry rock. When I lost my husband to cancer, the loneliness was so hard to bear. So, after a lot of research and talking to friends, I decided to look for a puppy. I came across a litter of Beddlington Whippets – the mum was a first cross Beddlington Whippet and the dad was a full pedigree Whippet.

Pebble was one of nine in the litter – two others were smooth-haired like her, while the other six were rough-coated. I fell for her the first moment I saw her at six weeks old. When she was old enough to leave her mum, she came to live with me and has been my constant companion ever since.

I fell for her the first moment I saw her

She's fun, makes me laugh every day and gets me out of the house. I now have plenty of exercise and stop to chat to so many people who marvel at how fast she is. In the evenings we cuddle on the sofa, and she gets into some of the most unusual goofy positions.

We go away together in my campervan and have attended many fun dog shows, country fairs and other charity events – she’s so pretty, she’s done well in many of the shows. She does also have her quirks, like recently she became scared of a new water bowl! And she’s nosey, so she’s been known to walk into fences and walls because she’s turning to look behind her. She’s the very best dog in the world and always brings a smile to my face.

Since adopting him, Natalie has watched Duke grow from a timid puppy into a cheeky, happy dog.

I met Duke when I was on holiday in Zante, visiting the dog shelter we often volunteer at. The day we arrived, a little dog was running around inside, clearly terrified. We had to use our ham sandwiches to try and coax him towards us! Luckily it worked, and we got him back into his pen. We kept an eye on him for the next week or so, but sadly, on the last day of our trip, he became ill and had to go to the vets. We sat with him right up until we had to get on our plane home – it was heartbreaking.

The vet kept us up-to-date and a week later, Duke had recovered and was allowed back to the shelter. By this point, we had decided to adopt him and bring him home to live with us when he was ready.

Duke is now a solid part of the family

He arrived three months later, extremely nervous and unsure of everything. We took him to meet my parents’ three other dogs, who are also from Greece. He was nervous at first but he did well, soon becoming best friends with one of the dogs Ella. Ten months on and Duke is now a solid part of the family. Since I work from home, he’s had to learn how to deal with my constant company. He likes to come and poke his head into the camera while I’m on a call to say hello to my colleagues!

He still has his moments and he's a very skittish boy, but once he's approved you (he does this by sticking his nose in your face and licking your ears), he’ll happily sit on top of you and wait for a tummy rub!

Like all the other rescues we work with, Duke has his 'quirks', some of which will stay with him forever and some that will disappear the more confident he gets. It’s lovely to watch his character grow as he gets more comfortable around us. He’s come such a long way already, both physically and mentally, and I can’t wait to watch him blossom even more.

Jennifer looks forward to coming home every day because she knows Roky will be there to greet her

I can't help but smile when I see my buddy, Roky.There's something about coming home and opening the door to a burst of energy powering towards me that makes my heart sing and melts away all the negativity from my day.

Helps me to get out and connect with the world

Not only is Roky good for my soul, but he's good for my health too. He gives my life a structure and makes sure I never lack purpose. He helps me to get out and connect with the world around me.

He's such a beautiful dog that people often stop to ask me about him. Thisis both a blessing and a curse.I get to meet so many new people, but he'salso very protective of me, and that means he's not always as interested in those new people as they are in him.

Roky doesn't like little dogs who are cuter than him, or anyone dressed in bright colours. It makes putting his raincoat on a nightmare!

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!

During the pandemic, Rosie turned out to be the perfect therapy for Laura’s elderly next-door neighbour

Over the past few years our dog Rosie has become a therapy pooch, albeit very much by accident! During lockdown, our widowed elderly next-door neighbour was self-isolating and very lonely. After a chat over the garden fence near the start of the pandemic, we arranged to shop for her and collect medicines etc.

She is an absolute treasure

But it was our Rosie who really improved her quality of life by visiting her and spending most days with her next door. She’d only come back home through the gate for meals, sleep and walks! Although we missed Rosie’s company, as a family of six, we realised she was providing her with the much-needed love and companionship that she was seriously lacking at that challenging time.

This relationship has subsequently continued. Now the pandemic has ended, our neighbour has sadly been diagnosed with cancer and Rosie has supported her throughout her treatment, giving her a reason to keep going. We are all back at school, college, uni and work, but Rosie continues to share her love with our lovely neighbour. Rosie will always be a positive influence in all of our lives. She is an absolute treasure, sharing her love with two homes!

Lena the sassy pup has filled Katie’s life with love and laughter.

Rescued from Romania, where she was attacked as a tiny pup, Lena just lights up my life every minute. Left with facial deformities, she is my little snorting hyena.

She is my little snorting hyena

Seeing how far she has come in the (almost) two years since I adopted her gives me such a sense of happiness. She has given me a purpose and something to care for when, at times, I can feel like I am not worth much.

Filled with so much sassiness and energy, she is (in my eyes) the best, purest gremlin ever.