Even though things haven’t always been smooth, Roma knew almost instantly that Puds was going to fit right into her family.

After our beloved Westie sadly died, we knew we needed to get another dog. Having done a lot of research, we decided to give a retired Greyhound a home.

We went to visit the kennels to take some of the resident Greyhounds for a walk. Just as we were leaving, we felt as though we were being watched. Through the bars was this sad face looking at us with huge brown eyes. We couldn’t resist turning back and taking her for a walk.

I feel so proud of her!

As we walked, Puds suddenly stopped in her tracks and wouldn’t go any further. Confused, my daughter and I realised that she was waiting for my disabled husband to catch up. Of course, we knew there and then she was the one.

The lovely people at the kennels said that when we saw her, she had only been back for half an hour after a week’s unsuccessful placement. Talk about it being meant to be!

We brought her home a year ago now, and it hasn’t been plain sailing – it’s taken time to teach her that other dogs aren’t the enemy (or her lunch!) – but I feel so proud of her when she sits calmly and plays with other dogs.

She loves her cuddles, sleeps at the bottom of our daughter’s bed and is a brilliant personal trainer. She has enriched our lives and is a perfect example of how great it can be to give a dog a second home, even if they aren’t a puppy anymore.

Shadow has come a long way since Ashley and her partner rescued him as a puppy, and now he’s their favourite travel companion

My partner and I started our search for our first ever dog five and a half years ago. We knew we wanted to rehome to a rescue, so we got in contact with lots of charities. That’s when we saw a scruffy black dog who had just made his way to the UK after being rescued from the streets in Romania.

After meeting at his foster home (and noticing he’d grown A LOT in the few weeks since his rescue), we brought that scruffy puppy home. It just so happened that his name was already Shadow, which I loved as Homeward Bound was my favourite childhood movie! In the first few months, as he got used to living in a home for the first time, we started to think ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?!’ But with weekly training sessions and agility, he soon got the hang of his home life.

He makes our little family of three complete

Fast forward a couple of years, and we decided to buy a motor home and travel Europe for six months. Now Shadow is a big dog, so we were a little apprehensive about him in our small home on wheels, but he took to life on the road like a duck to water. Every time we pulled up in a new place, he’d be at the windscreen begging to get out and explore!

In the past five years, we’ve taken Shadow to 12 countries, up countless mountains, on boats, on trains and just about anywhere else we could! He’s our best friend and he makes our little family of three complete.

Life isn’t easy for Otto or owner Sarah, but together they take on the world every single day

We got Otto when I was waiting for an operation on my eye. He gave me a reason to get up every morning. He was 10 weeks old and needed an urgent new home due to flooding and so we went and got him.

He is the best friend I could ask for

He is the best friend I could ask for. He hasn’t had the best start in life – bad breeding meant he was underweight, and we found out a few months ago that he has severe hip dysplasia and needed both his hips replacing. He had his first operation in August at 11 months old and next week will be going for his other hip replacement surgery.

Despite all of that he has been as good as gold and kept me going. I’m at high risk of Covid so have had to stay home since March and again he made it all bearable. He’s just lovely and after saving for his operations I would love to give him a treat.

Swizzle is a bundle of laughs, and Grace is very grateful to have him in her life

Swizzle is our miniature black and tan Dachshund. He’s changed our lives for the better in so many different ways, like helping to keep us active. One of our favourite things to do now is go for a long walk, and without Swizzle, we would never have discovered some of the nature trails or beautiful sites in our local area.

Having Swizzle also means we can’t be picky – we have to go for a walk come rain or shine. Getting outside no matter what has helped to improve our mental health, especially in these difficult times we’re all facing.

He’s changed our lives for the better

Swizzle makes us laugh everyday with his unique quirks. He always comes to sleep in our bed, but he doesn’t just curl up at the end – no, he lies with his head on the pillow, flat on his back, just like a human.

Like a typical Dachshund, he loves to bark out the window at other dogs passing by, and he gets particularly excited if he sees one that looks like him. We’re sure he thinks he owns the street outside our house!

Buzz Lightyear has majorly improved Larissa’s quality of life, and she loves him to infinity and beyond.

I adopted Buzz Lightyear when he was a puppy. He has become an amazing therapy dog, who has helped improve my mental health. He has helped me with living on my own independently, and I couldn’t go a day without him by my side.

He has improved my life drastically

He loves a good run around, and if you throw a ball that’s his favourite thing to do. He loves the outside, and although it’s difficult for me to sometimes get about because of my MS, he relaxes my state of mind with that smile on his face.

He has improved my life drastically and I love him so much. I can live independently and do as I wish, as I know I have him to help me along the way. He is the best dog, always friendly, energetic, full of personality and there to cheer me up when I am not in a good place. I couldn’t wish for a better companion, I adore him. Whoever you are Buzz will always greet you with a smile — he is just one happy, loving dog.

With Dudley around, Caroline knows life could never be boring!

Dudley is clever, funny and loves nothing more than to be in the garden with me. Once, he tried to open my green house to run away with the plant pots, which have no chance of surviving if he gets his paws on them.He also has a habit of chewing all my flower heads off!

Run away with the plant pots

He is very affectionate and loves to go on walks, especially with my grandsons, who he is very gentle with. He also enjoys stealing laundry from the washing machine and using it as a chew toy. Dudley has captured our hearts, and always makes everyone around him smile.