Joanne is determined to make her dog Roo’s life as happy and fulfilling as possible

Roo is a rescue dog. We adopted him as we felt we could give him a wonderful life here on the Isle of Wight, with all the beaches, parks and the countryside close by.

When we first met Roo, he was hiding under a coffee table. He had sad little eyes and his nose was just poking out. I put my hand down and he sniffed it and licked me. At that stage, I didn’t know he only had two legs, but I did know that he would soon become part of my family.

Living the happy life all dogs should

We wanted to give him the very best life possible despite his injuries and disabilities, so I spent weeks researching what tools could help him to help. We ended up purchasing a purpose-made wheelchair from America. It took him a few weeks to get used to it, but now he’s so happy. Roo loves nothing more than running along the beach, chasing birds and playing with my two Huskies, living the happy life all dogs should.

My dog is strong, loving and loyal, and reminds me every day that life is what you make it.

Shandy may be a rescue dog, but she’s saved her owner Paula in so many ways

I rescued Shandy from Spain. She was a street dog, and some ex-pats in the village found her and took her to the local rescue centre. When I heard her story, I knew she deserved a safe and loving home with us.

Our dog has completed our family

She has long legs and almost trots when running. She won't eat her food unless I say it's OK and she’s so gentle with our other tiny rescue dog, it makes my heart sing to watch them play and have fun!

Shandy has boosted my mental health. I was feeling pretty low after losing my job, but the long walks we take together have been so good for both of us. Our dog has completed our family and watching her grow more confident every day has been a joy for us all.

Two years after the loss of her family’s first dog, Oslo came bounding into Emmie-Rosa’s life, bringing plenty of love and laughter with him

After the passing of our dearly loved family dog during lockdown, our household was deeply missing a four-legged companion, and all the fun and chaotic energy they bring. In May 2022, we decided that we were ready to bring a new pup into our lives. Little did we know that, less than 48 hours later, we’d be bringing a tiny little eight-week-old Rottsky pup called Oslo home with us.

We all look forward to a long, adventure-filled life with him!

Oslo has bought so much joy to our family in the 4½ months he’s been with us. He’s goofy, mischievous, playful and clever. He will huff and puff when you move him from his fave spot on the sofa, and then pretend to ignore you when you try and make up for it. He has the sweetest nature and so much energy. He loves to join us on every trip, whether it’s to a pub, a castle, a coffee shop or the woods.

Oslo is always by our sides. He loves everyone and everything, from adults and children to dogs and horses. He always wants to say hello. He really has been the missing piece in our family, and we all look forward to a long, adventure-filled life with him!

With Tyler’s help, Harry has transformed from a neglected rescue dog to a cheeky little chap, enjoying his senior years

We adopted Harry roughly two months ago from Dogs Trust and, since having him in our life, we feel whole.

Harry hadn’t had the easiest start. When he was first donated to Dogs Trust, he was so matted that they didn’t even know if he was a boy or girl. Our poor baby was known as Harriet for a while, until his matted fur was shaved, and they discovered he was in fact a boy!

We like to think it’s us who saved him, but I think it’s the other way round!

From the first photo we saw of Harry, we knew we had to make him part of our family. It didn’t matter to us that he was an older dog. I think it bothered him more when he had to suffer several hour-long trips back and forth to have six of his teeth removed – he hated the car more than the dentist!

Harry has settled in well at home and he completes our family. He is super cheeky and will do anything for a treat. He’ll jump, walk on two legs, doggy paddle with his paws and occasionally try to sneak food off our plates. Being old, he can’t walk too far, but he gets super excited when his dad comes home from work and zooms around the house like a baby. Often when we do go on walks, he will refuse to walk home and has to be carried like a new-born – I think he definitely weighs more though!

We are so grateful that Harry is part of our family. He has brought happiness and wholesomeness to our hearts. We like to think it’s us who saved him, but I think it’s the other way round!

Dougie is the dog that Carol has always wanted, and together, they have endless adventures and hours of fun

I’d wanted a puppy for as long as I could remember, but it was never the right time for me to get one. Then one day, Dougie the rescue dog bounded into my life, and the rest is history.

He was actually six years old when I first met him, but his playful nature made it feel as though he was a lot younger. He really is a dream, because I get to enjoy all the good parts about having an energetic dog, without the work of looking after a young puppy!

It’s been so lovely to watch how happy he’s become

Dougie was pretty stressed when we first brought him home, but he’s settled in well over time. He had never been taken out much before, and so we got to do a lot of ‘firsts’ with him. So far, we’ve taken him to the beach, the river, on holiday and even on a boat. It’s been so lovely to watch how happy he’s become.

His favourite place is by far the beach. He enjoys nothing more than rolling around in the sand, so much so that we’ve even got him his own sandpit to play in at home. He’s not so sure about water and tends to sit and bark at the sea – though I think he’s making progress, and I’m sure that soon he’ll want to splash around and go for a paddle.

Kathryn and her family initially struggled to get Archie’s behaviour under control, but they eventually realised he wasn’t the only one in need of training

Archie is a goofy, lovable and loyal chocolate Labrador, who loves people and food but hates the hoover and water.

In the first six months, he was an absolute angel and no trouble at all. Then things changed and Archie became the craziest, most belligerent whirlwind ever! We got asked to leave training because his disruptive behaviour was disturbing others, and we even contacted a behaviourist for help.

He has taught us so much and brings us so much joy

We thought we’d made a dreadful mistake in getting him, but we eventually started to realise it wasn’t just Archie who needed training, we needed it too!

Gradually with patience, encouragement, praise and love, we have all learnt together and, between us, we have (almost) got there.

Archie’s still got his crazy personality at times, but we have the most loving, loyal dog who has taught us so much and brings us so much joy. Lockdown was made easier thanks to him, and we got through it all as a team. He’s even got a new cocker spaniel sister, Bella, who he’s helping us with – but that’s another story!