Jasmine loves her dog Rocky for all his quirks, even if he does insist on taking her for long walks!

Rocky is our fourth rescue dog. He is extremely mild-mannered and is friendly to every person and other dog he meets. He’s also very particular, and likes to go on a walk with each member of our family individually – which in fairness, has been a blessing in disguise during these lockdown months.

We live right beside a park – which he loves – but he has a mind of his own when it comes to which route we take to get there. Some days, he’ll go straight to the park and on others, he’ll lead us on a wild goose chase before we eventually get there.

Likes to go on walks with each of us individually

He loves to lie on the floor and have one of us lie down beside him and stroke him gently. He’s also very smart, and always knows what time of day it is – we think it’s so he can remind us that it’s time for his next walk!

With Rocky around, you’ll never be bored or miserable. He’s really made our house a home.

Lucy’s dog Dexter is so good at trouble-making, he actually became famous!

Dexter is a master of destruction. We’ve dubbed him with the nickname ‘Choppers McGee’, and his vet and the nurses call him ‘Dexter Naughty Pants’!

You may be wondering how he’s earnt himself this reputation. Well, at just 14 weeks old, he managed to eat the earpiece from our son’s headset and ended up in emergency surgery. It was about the size of a ring donut, so it’s quite incredible that he swallowed it in the first place. On that day, the CBBC crew from the TV show ‘Pet’s Factor’ happened to be filming. After hearing about Dexter’s antics, they decided to run a story on him – they even turned him into a cartoon character called ‘DJ Rex’!

They even turned him into a cartoon character

Regretfully, the experience hasn’t made him any more sensible. Watching his own exploits on the TV seems only to have motivated him further, and recently he tried upgrading to swallowing a pair of socks. Of course, it didn’t work and he soon returned them, covered in slobber. He seems to have developed a fondness for shoes in general, and now enjoys chewing flip flops as well as the occasional nibble on the garden hose.

He may be naughty, but Dexter is also incredibly smart, and has learnt to open the patio doors from both the inside and the outside. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll come indoors though when asked though – he’ll usually stay outside until we lure him in with a treat!

Dexter is a fabulous, goofy, one-of-a-kind dog who is a very much-loved addition to our family.

Rhian and his family fell for William as soon as they saw him, and now he makes the perfect addition to their happy family.

We visited Llys Nini RSPCA rescue centre back in the Summer holidays, and instantly fell in love with William the Corgi. We’re told that William and his brother Harry had been found wandering the streets of Swansea. He was extremely unkempt and malnourished.

He is thriving!

After lots of socialisation visits, William finally came to his forever home a few weeks later. As you can see, he is thriving! He’s now a healthy, happy little dog and entertains us every day. As we live near lots of beaches, he enjoys long beach walks (although he’s yet to get his paws wet in the sea!) and cosy evenings in front of the fire.

My daughter was diagnosed with a chronic condition in May and William never fails to cheer her up on her down days. They are the best of friends. William really is the best dog ever.

Darcy’s zest for life has helped Kiri to get back on her feet and feel her best again

When we first got Darcy, my family was in turmoil. My partner and I had both been made redundant and I was pregnant with our son. It felt as though we had lost everything, and I was feeling very low. Things got so bad that I even stopped leaving the house, and experienced high stress levels nearly every day.

She instantly became his loyal protector

With the very last of my redundancy pay, we decided to get Darcy – and that was the best decision we could have made. Looking after Darcy gave me the boost I truly needed to feel like myself again. She had to be taken for lots of walks, which helped me to leave the house for fresh air regularly. Looking after her also meant I had a loving companion to keep me company when my husband was out.

Darcy really did pull me out of my darkest hour, and when our son was born, she instantly became his loyal protector. Many said we were insane to have a dog and a baby together, but the pair of them have grown up with each other (they’re only six months apart in age) and have formed the strongest bond.

Now we’re in a better place, we’re able to spoil Darcy with everything she deserves – which is the world!

Freya had to spend a lot of time in adoption kennels, but it was worth the wait, as she ended up living with Holly and her partner, who absolutely adore her.

Freya turned one this week, but she has already had a lot of upheaval in her first year. She was born a stray in Cyprus, and taken in by a charity over there who brought her to England at just a couple of months old. Once here, she was adopted by a young owner – we don’t know much about him other than he sadly passed away very suddenly soon after adopting Freya.

We couldn’t be more pleased

She ended up in adoption kennels, and shockingly was there for months. Several families came to meet her, but each time they decided she was just too big and lively to be the right fit for them. Although it’s sad that Freya was in kennels for so long as a young pup still developing, it was great news for myself and my partner who eventually found her and took her home.

Staff at the kennels warned she was a bit wild, strong on the lead and over-excitable. We couldn’t be more pleased, this didn’t put us off. Freya is the most peaceful, loving, intelligent dog we could imagine. We’ve had her for three months now, and a day hasn’t gone by where we haven’t been flabbergasted by how lucky we are to have her in our lives. We now love cosying up in front of the fire with her every night, and wandering through the countryside and along the coast with her at the weekends. We can’t imagine life without her.

Lucienne has watched her dog Marley grow from a timid pup into a happy-go-lucky dog, and she couldn’t be prouder.

Marley came into our lives at five months old, as a sensitive but funny pup. He didn't like loud noises and eventually stopped going out for walks in the evening as he was scared of fireworks, and associated them with the dark.

He is a big tail wager, and developed 'Happy Tail Syndrome.' After the third bout, his tail was amputated but this hasn’t stopped him wagging what he has left.

A wonderful, gentle soul

Marley is a wonderful, gentle soul and is the most patient pal to our two children. We now live in the countryside, which means all his fears are easing. He loves his walks and snuggles on the sofa, and apples are his favourite treat.

He truly is a beautiful boy, greying around the face and getting slower over the last few years, but such an important member of our family!