Though Sarah struggled to socialise Austin during lockdown, that’s never stopped him from wanting to be everyone’s best friend

Austin came into our lives two years after I lost my heart dog, Freedom, to heart failure. I was apprehensive about getting another dog, but the house felt empty without one. So, we decided to change breed to a Lhasa Apso and found a wonderful breeder.

Austin was a lockdown puppy, so we struggled to socialise him. But we tried to get out to as many car boots as possible. As a result, he now knows what ‘car boot’ means and often sits behind the car on Saturday mornings barking to go out!

He may be tiny, but he’s made a huge impression on us!

He loves people. If someone is following us up the road on his walk, he has to stop and wait for them to say hi. His favourite people are children and elderly women – preferably on mobility scooters! The sound of the motor gets him really excited, and he likes to sit on their step.

He is such a character and will definitely tell you when he’s not happy about something. But all he wants to do is play, cuddle and meet his adoring public. He also loves camping in our trailer tent, where he’ll sit outside for hours watching the world go by and trying to attract people over for fusses.

His best friends in the whole world are our pair of guinea pigs, Mousse and Hamilton. He likes sharing their grass biscuits, getting in their cage and napping with them. He may be tiny, but Austin has made a huge impression on us!

As a nurse working on the front line, Joanne has her work cut out for her, but her dog Rodney is always there to lift her spirits at the end of a long day.

My Golden Retriever, Rodney, is one in a million. Although he’s nine years old, he acts like he’s only nine months old. He still loves going for a run and adores a swim in the sea – he also loves a quick dunk in a muddy puddle!

A wagging tail and a smiling face

As an A&E nurse working through the Covid-19 pandemic, Rodney has really supported me. Every day when I get home from the end of a shift he’s there, with a wagging tail and a smiling face.

Some people have kept their distance since finding out where I work, but Rodney has stayed with me, lying on my knee and always keeping me company whenever I’m around him.

Chester has helped Sarah-Louise and her husband to stay positive in challenging times

Chester is a two-year-old Pomsky. My husband is a doctor and I’m a nurse,and we decided to get Chester when I was having a particularly hard time at work.We had recently moved to Wales and taking Chester out for walks encouraged me to make new friends with other dog owners.

He melts our stress away

I really believe Chester’s constant happiness and endless love saved me from a dark place. After a long day at work, he’ll always greet us with so much excitement. Both my husband and I feel as though he melts our stress away. Our mental wellbeing has improved greatly since having Chester, and so has our fitness, as he loves to be outside and run around.

One of Chester’s favourite hobbies is helping out in the garden. I’ve started creating new boarders and as soon as I get my spade out, he gets his paws ready and digs wherever you’re digging. He’s truly wonderful.

Alfie likes to keep his owner Jemima on her toes!

Alfie is a cheeky chappy who is only 12 weeks old. He adds so much value to my life. I’m a nurse, and after a tough day of treating Covid patients, he never fails to greet me at the door with a tail wag.

He adds so much value to my life

On my days off, I take Alfie on outings. Our most recent one was to a pet shop, where he walked out with a toy in his mouth. Luckily, I quickly realised and paid for it!

His love of water must be because he’s a cockapoo. He splashes his paws in his water bowl, digging to get to the bottom, and has recently taken his water obsession even further by climbing into the shower with me!

Donna adores how kind and attentive her dog Milo is, especially towards her daughter and grandmother

Milo is such a happy soul who makes everyone smile. He helped my daughter through a tough time at school and he also assists me in caring for my elderly grandmother. He’s so slow and gentle around her, and my gran adores him so much she even spoon feeds him!

Milo knows the sound of the ice cream van

As a dog who loves his food, Milo knows the sound of the ice cream van and will sit and wait for it to come round. He also visits the local coffee shop and manages to charm the staff into giving him sausages! Milo is such a loving and good-natured dog, and we would never be without him.

Karen took Mollie in as a foster dog and in return she’s made every day brighter for her

Mollie came to us three years ago as a foster dog and I fell in love with her immediately.

There’s never a bad day with Mollie

She’s blind and epileptic, but this has never stopped her from loving life. She makes every day brighter and has even helped my other foster dogs recover from trauma that they’ve suffered – helping them to realise that life is for living without worries!

You can never have a bad day when you've got a Mollie to snuggle up to.