Toby’s a rescue dog and he makes us laugh every day. We got him a year before lockdown, and he helped us get through it.
He leads a walking group at our local community kitchen where my wife works. He meets and greets everyone, and they all love him.
He makes us laugh every day
He loves to ‘remake’ our bed and waits for us to laugh when we see it in a mess. And he loves doing zoomies at his granny's, where he destroys the lawn – but she loves him so much, it doesn't matter. He also has amazing, gorgeous ears that we call his angel wings.
Lily is 12 years old, yet she still steals any food she can get her paws on! She’s a bit lumpy and bumpy, and distinctly grey around the edges.
When Lily wakes up, her face often takes a while to return to normal after being squished by the side of her favourite chair, but most of all, she’s my 85-year-old mum’s best friend.
She’s my 85-year-old mum’s best friend
They’re both a little unsteady on their feet (and they’re on more medicines than you can imagine), but they love cuddles and cups of tea.
This picture is from one of her previous visits to the vet after breaking into a bag of dog food (she had no regrets!).
We rescued Piper from Bosnia. It took months of stress and heartache to get her and we really thought she was never going to get here.
Since she arrived the day before my birthday (perhaps that was fate) she has brought so much joy into our lives. She's so much fun, so cheeky and compassionate. We could never imagine life without her.
She's too clever for her own good, or ours more to the point!
She's too clever for her own good, or ours more to the point! She's learnt so much since she has been with us. She didn't know how to sit, but now she can sit pretty, as well as roll over and play dead. The list goes on and she absolutely loves training and learning.
"Find it" is her favourite game. Well, almost. I think her real favourite is playing victim and being chased around the house. We always know when she wants to play this – we get a slap from both paws on the backside, then it's game on. I may be very biased, but she's the most amazing puppy in the world!
I am a strong believer that things happen for a reason. In November 2015, I was driving home on the motorway when, all of a sudden, I was involved in a horrendous accident.
An HGV collided with my car, and I was dragged side-on down the motorway. I was extremely lucky to have walked away without any broken bones. However, I suffered from PTSD and severe anxiety from the trauma.
He helped me to get out the house and overcome my anxiety
Around that time, my partner's dog had a litter of pups. From the get-go, Jasper was drawn to me and I to him – we were like magnets. I loved him so much. He’s so caring and helped me to get out the house and overcome my anxiety.
Today, he’s still my 'cuddle puppy,' and I now also have his daughter. Both of them bring so much joy to my life and I am so grateful to have them.
Willow is a super positive influence in our lives. As you can imagine, we don’t get the best of weather in the North West but every day she looks at us as if to say, ‘Come on paw-rents, take me out, take me out!’ This particularly helps as we both work from home, so getting out the house for three walks a day is a must.
When we’re out, she thinks that every human wants to say hello and she has a special commando move of crawling up to them and sitting right at their feet with her head up, asking to be petted. It’s not often people can resist!
She loves a good pose for attention
She is very independent and likes to be defiant at times with a look of ‘I know what you’re saying but not today, mum.’ Plus, you’ll rarely see her without her favourite ball in her mouth, even if she’s sleeping.
She knows the name ‘daddy’ and if we ask ‘Where’s daddy?’, she’ll always jump on his lap and stand right over him so he has no choice but to pet her. We like to do this just to wind him up!
Her favourite snacks are natural treats and cheese. She won’t do anything at training unless cheese is involved, and that also includes fetching the ball. She’s currently scared of water and will do her best to avoid puddles.
She’s also a bit of an Instagrammer and loves a good pose for attention! I can honestly say Willow has really helped with my mental health by giving me a focus and a reason to get up and out. She even joins us on runs! She’s certainly made us a lot healthier and she’s the best furfriend I could ask for.
Ozzy comes wherever I go! I am a dog walker and the reason I gave up my office job was to spend more time with Ozzy. We love our job. Ozzy is the foundation of our business as all new dogs have to meet him to determine their behaviour.
I 100% trust Ozzy to welcome every dog he meets. All the dogs we walk know him – the young ones cling to him, the boisterous ones stay away from and the older ones hang out with him.
Ozzy has been through so many failed relationships and house moves with me. He has been my rock. He knows when to comfort me and when to cheer me up. He will cuddle up to anyone in need.
He's my best friend, work colleague and a huge part of our family
He sat with my dad while he was poorly and comforted my mum when she was sad. All without any prompt. He is a fabulous judge of character. With children, he is so gentle. He knows if they are worried and will stay close but allow them to build their confidence.
One of Ozzy’s party tricks is that he moonwalks out of rooms as he’s not a fan of slippery floors. We’re still unsure why walking backwards works?! Also, he can be found drinking like a horse on a hot day, submerging his whole face in the water bowl – something he learnt from his brother (my horse)!
He's my best friend, work colleague and a huge part of our family. He really is the best dog ever.