Poppy is at the centre of Rosemary’s household, whether she’s looking out for the kids or making everyone laugh

Our Poppy has become the life and soul of our home, even though she’s afraid of the cat. She encourages us to discover local beauty spots we never knew existed, and we’ve set ourselves the challenge of exploring more this year and getting to know our country better.

Poppy is best friends with our four-year-old, as well as our teenage sons, for whom she acts like a therapy dog. It’s crazy how she seems to be so completely in tune with the kids.

She seems to be so completely in tune with the kids

Our eldest son and his family adore her too, and marvel at how protective she is over our one-year-old grandson. She always pushes herself between him and the cooker or lays across the stairs in case he gets hurt.

True to Cockapoo character, she’s as daft as a brush, always bringing you toys to throw. She loves people and is still working out the kinks of dog training. We just couldn’t be without her, and no matter how tough your day, she makes sure you know you’re valued and important.

Nursing during the pandemic took a huge toll on both Mel and her partner, but Bruce’s arrival has helped the whole family to heal

My partner and I are both nurses. The last two years have left us tired, frazzled and at times afraid and terribly sad. Our two little boys Felix, aged seven, and Jude, aged six, were some of the few children at school throughout and they’ve been so brave.

I love dogs but it was never possible to have one with the long hours we worked. Then, in June last year, I got a job that allowed me to work from home a couple of days a week and we saw an advertisement for a litter of springer spaniels. It took some convincing but my partner, Dee, finally agreed to see them and the rest is history.

Even on the most difficult days, Bruce is always there

Bruce is typical of his breed – intelligent, playful, affectionate and slightly loopy. With the boys, he is always gentle and loving, and hearing them squeal with laughter when they all play together fills my heart.

Even on the most difficult days, Bruce is always happy to see us and always ready with a cuddle and a slobbery kiss. More times than I care to mention, I have sat on the sofa after a day at work and cried, and Bruce is always there, wrapped around my neck or lying across my legs and looking at me with his big brown eyes. The loopiness stops and he is just calm and present, and I feel better.

He gives me the strength to keep going. I have lost weight, my blood pressure and pulse are lower. I am loving our walks and looking forward to holidays in the lakes and Yorkshire Dales. He has completed our family.

In 2019, Lisa raised more than £2,000 for her local Christie Hospital to thank them for the care she received there, and she couldn’t have done it without her dog, Jessie

I've always been a keen walker and, in 2019, I embarked on a challenge to ‘walk the year’ – 2,019 miles with my best walking pal, Jessie, a Bedlington Whippet cross. We were raising funds for our local Christie Hospital, where I had been an inpatient 10 years previously. I was discharged from their care that year and felt the need to give something back.

Together, we soon raised, and exceeded, the target of £2,019, and we completed our challenge by August 2019. In truth, Jessie probably completed the challenge in March or April, such is her boundless energy.

She has an innocent zest for life

Jessie was with me every step of the way. Her good humour and enthusiasm was always there to keep me going. She has an innocent zest for life and she’s the most willing of walking companions, especially if there's cooked chicken in my rucksack.

We spent glorious days exploring the West Pennine Moors and beyond and, without Jessie, I know I wouldn't have ventured out on some of those wet and wild Lancashire days!

Having a walking companion who listens without interrupting, who goes where you want to go and who is happy to just be with you is priceless. And when I found myself lost on the moors, she was always there to give me a kiss and a cheery smile.

Throughout all of Ellie’s suffering Amber was right there beside her, providing her with the emotional support she needed to keep fighting.

My Cockapoo Amber has helped me to stay positive through the toughest times of my life. She came into our family when I was 16 and first started experiencing symptoms of my illness. She was only eight weeks old and quickly became my best friend, as I had to leave school and my life as I knew it began to fall apart.

It was almost two years later I was diagnosed with a life-limiting illness that left me housebound, in constant pain and extremely weak. At my lowest, Amber was the only thing that kept me going and the only thing that would make me smile. Whenever I got upset she would lick my tears away and stay by my side and when I was really unwell, she would scratch and cry at my door or do whatever she could to be with me. She was a constant source of comfort and made me feel so safe and less lonely.

She would lick away my tears

When nurses would come to visit me at home, they would always comment that Amber was always so close to me but she also instinctively knew when she needed to give me and the nurses space (although she was never too far away). They would often tell me that they’d always say they we’re going to see ‘Ellie and Amber’ because she never left my side. I’d spend months in hospital, and she would come and visit me. Having a cuddle and seeing her happy face was a massive boost. My heart would feel lighter whenever she would visit.

Without Amber I wouldn’t be here today. Last year I had surgery that thankfully gave me a second chance at life. I only got to that point because I wanted so desperately to take her for long walks or play with her in the garden again, she’s mad about tennis balls and loves to play fetch. The idea of giving her a happy life and repaying her for all the years of happiness she gave me when I needed it most kept me going. She still supports me when I have bad days but now I take advantage of every opportunity I can to be with her and do something fun.

I honestly don’t think words can really describe just how much I love her and what she means to me, but when I was a little girl I would dream about having a dog like her and I feel so lucky to have her in my life.

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.

Although it hasn’t always been easy, Emily adores Ruaridh and all the positivity he has brought into her life.

Little Ruaridh came into our lives only one month ago but the impact he has made has been substantial. Although extremely hard work, he has already made our little family happier and healthier in every way. From getting us up bright and early (5am!) to getting us out in the fresh air more – he really has improved our wellbeing.

He really has improved our wellbeing

He’s the greediest dog and the loves to explore the world through his mouth. The strangest thing he enjoyed eating was the binmen’s gloves after the binman tried to give him a cuddle.

As he grows, so do Ruaridh’s eyebrows and his long golden hair often glimmers in the sun. We love our little bundle of fluff and would love to spend some quality time away with him on his first holiday.