Whether she’s demanding cuddles or knocking things over, Willa always makes Gillian and her family laugh with her silly personality

Willa is a daft German Shorthaired Pointer. She loves to walk and scent chase. You hardly see her on a walk but one whistle and she's back in a second – unless something requires her urgent attention!

In the house, she’s a massive lap dog. She wants cuddles and covers even when it's 28° outside. She runs a tight ship too: breakfast at 8am prompt, lunchtime snack at 12 exactly, dinner at 5pm and supper at 9pm on the button. We joke that she is a dictator. This is her life and you’re privileged to be a part of it, thank you very much!

She always makes us laugh with her silly antics

She always makes us laugh with her silly antics. Her nickname is doof-dog because she 'doofs' things with her nose and knocks them over. When you’re in the bath. the deodorant often ends up in with you! She also has a weird obsession with metal and likes to chew coins. She won’t eat them; she’ll just faff about with them in her mouth.

Willa has always been a goof and that's why we love her so much. There is never a dull moment.

As a Tibetan Terrier, Teddy’s unlike any of Michelle’s previous dogs, but she loves him more than words can express

I grew up with dogs, as did my husband. So, when we got married, we decided we wanted to get our own dog. My husband had grown up with Tibetan Terriers and said we had to get one. I’d never heard of the breed, but I did a bit of research, found a breeder and Teddy came along in August 2019. He totally changed our lives!

Everyone says their dog is the best, but I know mine really is

Teddy is stubborn, fussy, wonderfully intelligent, independent, loving on his own terms, funny, playful, and full of character. He’s almost human and loves being outside – he’d probably live outside if I let him!

He’s the total opposite to the dogs I had growing up, but I wouldn’t change him for the world, and I’d never get a different breed now. I can’t put into words how much I love my furry boy. He’s loved so much, and he knows it! Everyone says their dog is the best, but I know mine really is.

Though Lesley-Anne is living with several health problems, her Cockapoo pup Binah always gives her a reason to smile

My Binah is a Cockapoo, a curly cuddle pup. She’s clever and quirky, and she loves meeting everyone and rambling everywhere. I have primary biliary cholangitis and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, so I ride a wheelchair and spend lots of time just resting. Binah always makes me smile.

We adore her, and she adores us

When we go out, she’s often the reason people want to speak with us. And when we’re at home, she brings her well-chewed toys to me to play fetch, catch and tug-of-war.

She seldom barks, though she occasionally gives a little squeak or baby ghost howl. She has the most beautiful eyes and big golden curls like Shirley Temple. She’s all love. We adore her, and she adores us.

Yvonne was at a low point, but the moment Whiskey Sox bounded into her life, things changed for the better.

I was off work after being diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression and had been thinking about getting a dog for a while. We decided it would provide me with a focus, and since I would be at home, I’d have the time to help with the house training.

My husband, sister in law and I went to the breeders. She had a room of six-week-old puppies. As we talked, her 'house' dogs and a three-month-old pup wandered into the room. She was the runt of the previous litter, and the breeder had kept her back to build her up, but the arrival of the new puppies meant no one wanted her. Well, I did!

You couldn’t get a playing card between us

We took her home and named her Whiskey. From the very first day she was 'my' dog. She slept next to me, snuggled with me on the sofa (you couldn't get a playing card between us) and followed me everywhere.

I have since returned to work, but she is still my security blanket, my treasure and my dog. When I’m at work she stays with my husband, but I’m still her favourite. In a household of men, we stick together!

Since adopting him, Natalie has watched Duke grow from a timid puppy into a cheeky, happy dog.

I met Duke when I was on holiday in Zante, visiting the dog shelter we often volunteer at. The day we arrived, a little dog was running around inside, clearly terrified. We had to use our ham sandwiches to try and coax him towards us! Luckily it worked, and we got him back into his pen. We kept an eye on him for the next week or so, but sadly, on the last day of our trip, he became ill and had to go to the vets. We sat with him right up until we had to get on our plane home – it was heartbreaking.

The vet kept us up-to-date and a week later, Duke had recovered and was allowed back to the shelter. By this point, we had decided to adopt him and bring him home to live with us when he was ready.

Duke is now a solid part of the family

He arrived three months later, extremely nervous and unsure of everything. We took him to meet my parents’ three other dogs, who are also from Greece. He was nervous at first but he did well, soon becoming best friends with one of the dogs Ella. Ten months on and Duke is now a solid part of the family. Since I work from home, he’s had to learn how to deal with my constant company. He likes to come and poke his head into the camera while I’m on a call to say hello to my colleagues!

He still has his moments and he's a very skittish boy, but once he's approved you (he does this by sticking his nose in your face and licking your ears), he’ll happily sit on top of you and wait for a tummy rub!

Like all the other rescues we work with, Duke has his 'quirks', some of which will stay with him forever and some that will disappear the more confident he gets. It’s lovely to watch his character grow as he gets more comfortable around us. He’s come such a long way already, both physically and mentally, and I can’t wait to watch him blossom even more.

Susanne adores Playa for many reasons, but particularly for the way she looks out for Peanut the kitten

Playa was found with her siblings at the side of the road when she was just a few days old. The litter was fostered, and Playa was adopted but sadly returned after a while. I happened to meet her her at an adoption drive in a pet shop a few months later. I had only gone in to buy cat milk for our newly adopted kitten, Peanut, but I just knew as soon as I saw her that Playa was meant to be ours.

The two of them are inseparable

She immediately fit right into our busy household, along with our new kitten, Peanut, and two other cats. She loved Peanut from the moment she laid eyes on her, and to this day the two of them are inseparable and even sleep in the same bed. Peanut sees Playa as a toy and chase and bite her tail, but Playa just licks her back.

Playa loves everyone and everything. Our friend has a son who has autism, and he can be intimidated by dogs because of their unpredictable fast movements. But he has no fear of Playa, and loves sitting on the sofa and cuddling with her. Playa shows tremendous patience with all children and young dogs, and is always so gentle and calm around them.