After many years of working as a sheep dog for Lauren’s family, Toby is enjoying a well-earned retirement

Toby is a working sheep dog! He’s been the best dog we’ve had on our farm – no job was ever too big or too small for him. He has been my companion and best friend since I was two.

He has been my companion and best friend since I was two

Toby only retired from rounding up sheep and farm work around two years ago so has had a very long working life. He’s still going strong and now enjoys a more relaxed lifestyle just pottering around the farmyard. He’s a caring, gentle boy, and a big softy at heart. Plus, he knows how to pull at the heart strings to get his own way!

Tilly may seem cute and innocent, but she definitely reigns supreme in Anna’s house!

I wouldn’t be without my dog Tilly. Last year I had a nasty car accident and she got me through the low times. She’s full of mischief and such a great character. She’s not perfect – she’s got a crossbite so often shows off her tiny teeth – but she’s perfect to me.

She got me through the low times

Tilly is very affectionate. She loves to have a cuddle and be carried around. Though she’s also a very stubborn girl. She’s very much the boss of the family and has to be first with everything. She’ll often bite her ‘brother’ Scrappy’s ears, but he loves her just as I do. During the spring days, she loves to garden – digging holes and rolling in the mud!

Dog-obsessed Danielle feels complete now that Millie is in her life.

I've grown up with dogs all my life. I used to have two German Shepherds, Sabre and Levi. By the time we sadly lost my two best friends, I was 21 and was just beginning my life after university. I met my partner and moved to Manchester for work. Since the beginning of our relationship, I made it clear that I wanted to have a dog in my life again. Sometimes, it felt like it might not happen for another 10 years with work and so on.

But everything fell into place in November 2019 when we brought Millie, our Labradoodle, into our lives. My boyfriend has never had a dog before and Millie has 100% stolen his heart and made him as dog-obsessed as me.

Having Millie in our life is like a hole has been filled

She's the most loving and chilled out puppy I have ever known. I was ready for the madness and chaos that comes with a puppy but we never really had it. She has many quirks, including sitting upright on the sofa like a human being. She loves to snuggle up into your arms and she's the perfect size to do so.

She is tennis ball-mad, and makes us take her out at 8 pm on the dot for her tennis ball chasing hour! Morning walks are reserved for a gentle stroll through our local woods.

Having Millie in our life is like a hole has been filled. Taking her for her morning walk gives me such a feeling of calm before the day ahead. It's our special time when nothing else in the world matters.

Our life now revolves around planning adventures with Millie and doing everything we can to give her the best years of her life. We often ask ourselves what we used to do before we had a dog. Watching her grown, learn and blossom into an adult dog fills us with so much pride – we can kind of see why people might have children!

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.

Eris loves everything about her dog Lizzy, who might appear a bit grouchy on the outside, but is the kindest, most loving dog on the inside.

Lizzy is all the things you don't want. She's stubborn, always thinks she knows best and incredibly grumpy if her dinner is late.

Despite all that, she's been my rock since we rescued her at three years old. She's seen me through clinical depression and anxiety, and still is there for me when I need her. With the isolation the current climate has brought, taking her for walks and spending lots of time cuddling has been my therapy.

She’s been my rock

Lizzy never fails to make me laugh, and she remains bouncy and energetic, lighting up whenever she gets a sniff of agility equipment. I'm honestly not sure how she keeps going, behaving like a dog half her age, the only real sign being that after her mad romps she does need to sleep for a while. But, as soon as that's done, she's ready to go again!

Chloe went to the pub one night and came home with a dog – all because she couldn’t stand watching Bailey suffer at the hands of her former owner

I met Bailey in the local pub when she was brought in by her previous owner. She was a five-month-old purebred Labrador, but she looked about 12 weeks old. She was skin and bone and she looked exhausted. I offered her some chips from my plate and a drink of my water, but her owner told me not to feed her. He said she’d had her weekly feed as she poops in the house otherwise.

She has made me a dog person

Bailey kept coming back to me while we were in the pub. I think she saw me as her safety net. The owner kept grabbing her by her scruff and dragging her back to him, but she kept wanting to cuddle up to me.

I offered to buy her from him as he had mentioned he works 12-hour days and leaves her all day. I bought her then and there, and she came home with me that evening. She’s been mine ever since and she’s made mine and my partner’s lives wonderful.

She’s got such a wicked personality in comparison to the exhausted, malnourished puppy we met in the pub. She’s insanely clever and LOVES eating squares of cheese! She has made me a dog person and I would never be without her. I’m so thankful I went for a drink that night.