After years of living as a stray in Cyprus, Zola has finally found her forever home with Annabel, and now she’s blossoming into the dog she was always meant to be

I adopted Zola, a German Shorthaired Pointer, on 2nd May this year. She was found as a stray in Cyprus, rescued and looked after in a shelter for about two months until she was well enough to travel to the UK.

She has settled really well in the time she has been here, and I have just started very basic training with her as she was completely untrained. She has definitely come out of her shy, anxious shell and is showing her cheeky, funny, very affectionate character. She is a puppy in a 9-year-old body as she's probably never enjoyed a puppyhood before.

Adopting a neglected, abandoned dog is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done

She loves anything fluffy, especially if she's not supposed to have it, like my slippers and the dog coats I’m knitting for rescue shelters, for example. She pokes her nose in any open drawer or cupboard and loves to grab and run – she is particularly drawn to silicone baking containers for some bizarre reason.

Zola is starting to bond with our other two adopted German Shorthaired Pointers, 9-year-old Baxter and 12-year-old Danny, who’s also a Cyprus rescue. She loves food, food and more food, playing with toys, stealing Danny's tennis balls and doing anything naughty.

She makes me laugh every day and drives me demented from running around saving items from being chewed, but gives me so much love in return. Adopting a neglected, abandoned dog and giving them a loving forever home is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done, and seeing them blossom into the dogs they should have always been is priceless.

Kylo always knows exactly what his owner Suzanne needs, whether it be love, a helping hand or just a reason to smile

I have Muscular Dystrophy and am in a wheelchair, so I wasn’t sure how a puppy would fit into our lives initially, but I knew I wanted the love and companionship only a furry friend could provide.

Kylo is now one year old and has already exceeded all of my expectations. He is such a loving dog and is never happier than when he’s sitting with us and getting lots of attention. He is very sensitive to my disability and will sit by my legs as though protecting me from the world (something he doesn’t do to anyone else). He also sits and waits patiently whenever I go past in my wheelchair, and even seems to sense when my feet and legs are painful.

He has brought such love, joy and affection

He has recently learnt to bring me my socks when I ask him to, after many months of grabbing them and taking off! We all utterly adore him, and he has brought such joy, love and affection into our family life.

Whenever you enter room, he will always greet you with a very enthusiastic tail wag – we call it the helicopter. He’s so smart and learnt all his commands and tricks in no time. Although, despite his intelligence, he is still absolutely terrified of the microwave!

Hope goes everywhere with Launa and her partner, even when they spent six months travelling around Spain and Portugal

I lost my job 11 years ago, about the same time Hope was born. My brother gave her to me, so I had a reason to get out of bed in the mornings and she has certainly lived up to her name. Occasionally she is Hopeful or Hopeless too!

She’s the most chilled out dog I’ve ever known and we take her everywhere with us. In 2016, we had the opportunity to go travelling for six months around Spain and Portugal. Hope came too of course.

She’s the most chilled out dog I’ve ever known and we take her everywhere with us

We based ourselves in the Algarve and travelled around via public transport. She was always so well behaved that the train conductor would ask us why we had bought three tickets to travel (you pay for dogs there too). We always had to point her out, chilled or asleep at our feet.

Whenever we played stick or ball by the sea, we would gain a crowd as the locals have a different relationship with their dogs in the Algarve and were not used to them being so playful. Hope has stayed in Airbnbs across Portugal and never a whisper. The above photo is from Lisbon, which we adored, with Hope taking the crowds in her stride.

Tan’s dog Sally didn’t have the best start in life, but she still manages to find the sunshine in every day

We adopted Sally from a rescue charity called Wolfies Legacy.She was originally a street dog in Tunisia where she suffered a gun wound. Both of her front elbows were severely damaged, and as she didn’t have access to a vet, her front legs ended up becoming set in a bent, upright position.

Despite all she’s been through, Sally is the most loving and trusting dog you could ever wish to meet.She's adapted to walking on her elbows, which we pad to protect, and can sit on her hind legs when she’s begging for treats or if she wants to be picked up. She’s incredibly fast when she wants to be and knows how to jump and hop at speed.

She’s a dog that lives for the moment

We run a home-boarding dog business and Sally is our guidance dog for all the new arrivals.She is super friendly and always makes them feel safeand welcome. Some dogs are a little puzzled by her, as they can't quite figure out why she won't run around with them, but we've noticed how easily they learn to play in ways that accommodate her. It’s truly heart-warming to watch how the dogs interact, accept and embrace Sally’s disabilities.

Being unable to walk very far hasn't stopped Sally from loving life and exploring. We take her out in her buggy every day, and she loves nothing more than to watch the world go by. She’s a dog that lives for the momentand enjoys everything life offers her. Having Sally is a constant reminder that life is what you make it.

After losing one of their dogs a few years ago, Sally and her family have been treasuring every moment with Lily

Lily is the most loyal, faithful Labrador. We’ve had her since she was a pup, along with our Labradoodle Ozzy, who we lost to cancer in April 2020. Lily adored Ozzy and we were afraid she would pine. But thankfully her personality has shone through. She’s very greedy and has emptied bins and hoovered up the flour that we put out to discourage ants.

I can’t bear to think what life would be like without her

She’s struggled with walking long distances lately, so we bought her a large dog buggy for longer trips. She wasn’t keen at first, but now she loves it and prefers riding to walking. She sits just like a princess, enjoying the journeys. She’s never slept on the sofa before, but ever since we’ve had our son and his dog staying with us, she enjoys jumping on the sofa each night after we've gone to bed.

She was also named after the Queen (Lilibet), as she was due to be born on the Queen's birthday. I can’t bear to think what life would be like without our truly adorable Lily, who everyone loves. And she loves them too, especially if they have a treat in their pocket.

Broden has gone from a loving family pooch to a fully fledged therapy dog thanks to his big heart.

Broden has been with us from eight weeks old – always rather stubborn but the best family dog ever. He’s welcomed new grandchildren into the family, loving their cuddles.

The best family dog ever

He became a Pets as Therapy dog and has visited care homes and schools. If faced with a person in a wheelchair he will lay his big head on their knees so they can stroke him. He has helped schoolchildren read and helped a child overcome a fear of dogs.

Since my husband retired he has been his walking companion, even walking the Cotswold Way and the Coast to Coast with him. He’s slowing down a bit now, but still has the biggest heart and personality.