Lynda was devastated when Sam suddenly went blind last year but, to her amazement, he hasn’t let that slow him down at all

Sam has shown me that even in dark times, there can still be light. Up until September last year, he was a fun-loving, adventurous young Collie who lived life to the full. Then he went blind, almost overnight. Long story short, despite tests and an excellent specialist, the reason for this remains unknown.

My husband and I were devastated and our other Collie, Caley, soon realised something was wrong as her playmate could no longer see her to play. However, despite the shock and heartache, I immediately started looking into how a blind dog could still live a full and happy life.

Sam has shown me that even in dark times, there can still be light

Sam and I have worked together, learning new commands such as ‘step up’, ‘step down’, ‘careful’ etc. Caley and I wear bells when we are out so he can hear where we are. As a result, he is still able to walk off lead in most places. We live in the Scottish Highlands and he was used to a lot of freedom before he went blind, so it's fantastic that this hasn't been taken away from him along with his sight.

He still enjoys swimming and belts around the garden as if he were sighted. He has inspired me every single day. My sadness for him is still there, but he’s taught me that, despite your setbacks, you can still get on with life and live it to the full. He is absolutely amazing, and I hope he goes on to have many years of adventures up here in Scotland.

Zeus has been through so much himself that he knows just how to help Sandra through the dark times.

My boy is amazing. Three years ago, he went for routine op and sadly became very ill and near death. Through all the treatment he had, he survived and stayed loving, and now we have diagnosed a haemophiliac dog.

That dog has saved my life

His life has changed, but he's the most loving, happy dog. Every day, I wake up to him wagging his tail because he’s so pleased to see me. He has helped me during the worst times – I lost my brother during lockdown and also had a heart op, but that dog has saved my life.

The strength he has to be happy and to go through so much being so ill means I couldn't wish for a better dog. He’s my life. Bless him.

Sarah adopted Paddy when he needed her most, and now he’s able to help other vulnerable dogs just like him

Paddy was brought into a rescue center where I was working as a dog walker. He had been found on a busy road near Newark, and was very thin and dirty. It took him a while to warm to us, but after a lot of perseverance – and the offer of food – Paddy came home with me as a foster dog.

He’s such a gentle soul

Of course, I failed as a foster parent and adopted Paddy not long after. He’s such a gentle soul, and has proved to be extremely loving and very happy in everyday life. Over the years, he’s attended fundraiser events with me, to raise money for other dogs in recuse centers and to promote awareness of how Lurchers can make lovely pets.

To this day, Paddy loves food, and will pretty much do anything if you bribe him with something tasty! He also enjoys woodland walks, but his favourite thing to do is curl up on the sofa for some cosy snuggles.

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!

Though Sarah struggled to socialise Austin during lockdown, that’s never stopped him from wanting to be everyone’s best friend

Austin came into our lives two years after I lost my heart dog, Freedom, to heart failure. I was apprehensive about getting another dog, but the house felt empty without one. So, we decided to change breed to a Lhasa Apso and found a wonderful breeder.

Austin was a lockdown puppy, so we struggled to socialise him. But we tried to get out to as many car boots as possible. As a result, he now knows what ‘car boot’ means and often sits behind the car on Saturday mornings barking to go out!

He may be tiny, but he’s made a huge impression on us!

He loves people. If someone is following us up the road on his walk, he has to stop and wait for them to say hi. His favourite people are children and elderly women – preferably on mobility scooters! The sound of the motor gets him really excited, and he likes to sit on their step.

He is such a character and will definitely tell you when he’s not happy about something. But all he wants to do is play, cuddle and meet his adoring public. He also loves camping in our trailer tent, where he’ll sit outside for hours watching the world go by and trying to attract people over for fusses.

His best friends in the whole world are our pair of guinea pigs, Mousse and Hamilton. He likes sharing their grass biscuits, getting in their cage and napping with them. He may be tiny, but Austin has made a huge impression on us!

Max is an all-rounder – he helps teach children how to respect animals, he supports other dogs with their social skills, and he has even helped Jess hand-rear rescue kittens

Max has been renamed ‘Super Max’ by all the local children as he often goes into schools to meet them. We have a programme where we teach young children how to be safe around animals, and their favourite part is coming to stroke him at the end of the lesson.

Max is amazing with all the children and can walk into any environment calmly, making everyone feel instantly relaxed. A lot of children who were initially too scared to sit with the class during the first part of the session will build up confidence to come and say hello to him by the end.

He’s been renamed ‘Super Max’ by all the local children

He has also helped me hand-rear lots of rescue kittens over the years, and more recently a litter of wild baby rabbits. He loves the babies and will protect and clean them like they’re his own.

On top of everything, Max has helped a lot of other dogs build up their social skills. He is such a kind and calming influence. He always knows they’re nervous so he’s very patient with them.

Over the last five years, he has come out with me on all my training sessions as my wingman and he’s never put a foot wrong! He really is the bestest boy through and through.