Tori’s mental health has only got better since Arlo came into her life, and she’s helped him overcome some of his own fears in return

Arlo came into my life in October 2019. He's the best little pooch. Before Arlo, I worked in a job that destroyed my mental health, and I had panic attacks most days. When I decided to quit to focus on myself, I thought ‘now would be a good time to get a furry friend'. It was the best decision!

Arlo has changed my life. He's helped my anxiety levels massively and he gives me purpose. He’s my best friend, my companion, my family and I love him dearly. If I'm sad, he's there, and if I'm happy, he's there. He puts the biggest smile on my face and his tail never stops wagging. He's definitely my soul mate.

If I'm sad, he's there, and If I'm happy, he's there

I like to think I've helped him to overcome some worries as well. As a young pup he was attacked by another dog which left him very scared and nervous around both dogs and humans. It's been a long process, but he's made so much progress and I'm so proud of him. He's so kind, even after what happened. I sometimes believe that dogs (and animals in general) are too good for this world. But we have each other, and for that I will forever be grateful.

Arlo’s favourite thing in this world is balls. He will do just about anything for a ball. He loves most toys, in fact. He's a very playful soul and often drops toys in your lap to let you know it's playtime. But nothing beats snuggle time. At any time of the day, Arlo is up for a good cuddle. He lights up the life of anyone who’s lucky enough to know him.

Since she came into their lives eight years ago, Piper has caused more than her fair share of mayhem in Deborah’s household

When I was volunteering to walk rescue dogs, I came across this lovely little white Boxer. I fell in love with her, brought her home and called her Piper. She came into our lives as my oldest girl was about to join the army, so she’s been a very welcome and crazy distraction in the eight years we’ve had her.

In that time, she has destroyed three air fryers by knocking them down and stealing the food. She has stolen beetroots, courgettes, carrots. She has eaten five people’s worth of spag bol, escaped from a secure field, and refused for 24 hours to come downstairs!

She’s definitely kept us on our toes, but we love her so much

Her ultimate crime was on Christmas Day 2013. My daughter was home on leave from the army, and we were just sitting down for breakfast when Piper began to choke. She had swallowed a large knotted raw hide bone whole and lengthways, and she was foaming at the mouth and collapsing.

We rang the local vet who put her under and tried to remove the bone but no joy. We had to take her to Newmarket, with specialists holding her head in position to help her breathe. It was a two-hour journey, and when we arrived she was taken straight in for surgery. My daughter and I were still in our pyjamas, looking for somewhere to wait. We ended up in a pub cooking lunch for the homeless, where they fed and watered us.

Five hours later, the bone was removed, and Piper stayed there for the night. When we drove back on Boxing Day, she bounced out of the vets. We were told to keep her quiet for 48 hours. Within 10 minutes of arriving back home in Great Yarmouth, she was bouncing on the kids’ trampoline!

This dog has definitely kept us on our toes, but we love her so much. Have a Boxer they said, it will be fun they said...

Seero may be small in size, but he’s made a big impact on Ashleigh and her fiancé

In February 2020, my fiancé and I were looking to adopt a shelter/rescue dog. We live in an upstairs apartment so wanted a small dog. None of the shelters around us had any though, so we took to searching through Facebook.

Adopting Seero was the best decision we’ve ever made

My partner came across an appeal for a little black dog in Cyprus. He had four separate posts from the charity hoping someone would take an interest in this little boy, but nobody seemed to. That broke our hearts – he looked absolutely perfect to us and we fell in love with the photos of him. We thought it would never happen. How would we get him to North East Scotland from Cyprus? I messaged the shelter's page to enquire. A week later we were picking Seero up from a drop-off point in Glasgow. We couldn't believe our luck.

I've had a horrible year due to poor health and being unable to work for the time being, and Seero has definitely saved me – and my partner – more than we saved him. Waking up to his little face, a wagging tail and big kisses has been amazing. He really seems happy now. His eyes were once sad, but now they’re full of love. Adopting Seero was the best decision we've ever made. I would advise everyone to consider adopting.

Susan is so proud of the way Oscar takes care of her son

Oscar is fabulous. He's looks after my son, Jason, who has autism. When he knows Jason is unhappy, he’ll go and sit next to him until he cheers up.

Until he cheers up

My dog has such a fun personality and can be very cheeky. He enjoys having a sneaky nibble of the newspaper when he thinks no one is looking! He’s also a total water baby, and so his favourite pastime is undoubtedly swimming.

Rose doesn’t get away with much when Finn’s around, but that’s what makes him so adorable

My Border Collie Finn never fails to make me smile. He adores the TV and will watch any animal programme, but he especially loves adverts with animals in them. As soon as one comes on, he’ll grab one of his many toys and start prancing around in front of the screen, barking loudly.

Finn seems to have an internal clock

Finn seems to have an internal clock, and he always gets restless around his mealtimes. If you miss the mark, he’ll badger you until you feed him! He also knows when I usually go to bed and will often sit and stare at me when it’s around that time, as if he’s saying goodnight.

He’s so funny and makes us laugh every single day, like when he tries to avoid puddles on our walks by doing a little sidestep dance, or when he helps his dad out with the gardening by doing some digging.

Doris supported Alice through her struggles with depression, and now she continues to fill her life with love and laughter

Doris is my rock. She is the four-legged love of my life and my absolute best friend. She was by my side through my depression and just understood – she knew I needed her.

She was, and still is, my reason to get out the house each day, even though she is a complete princess and HATES wind and rain. She’s the reason I laugh and smile so much.

She is the four-legged love of my life

She’s also a complete sass queen and will always refuse to leave the beach. She’ll walk round any puddle and go to extreme lengths to avoid mud, but will charge straight into the sea!

Doris will shred a tennis ball in seconds, but will treasure any cuddly toy for months – or years. Her favourite game is chase but, if no one’s around to play, she’ll take a toy to the top of the stairs and launch it down by herself on repeat!