Barney, affectionately known as Barney Bear, has been a restorative source of joy for Jacqueline

When my dad passed away in 2020, I thought I’d never smile again – he passed away from Covid and I couldn’t say goodbye to him.

Shortly after, we decided to get a puppy. My dad was a shepherd, and his Border Collie was called Barney, so I decided to call him Barney to keep Dad’s memory alive. This name soon became ‘Barney Bear’.

He’s my best friend and I smile every time I see his cute face!

Barney-Bear is a Shorkie, and to say he changed my life would be an understatement. He mended my broken heart and taught me how to smile again.

After being my dad’s full-time carer, I’ve found purpose in my life again. I’ve also taught Barney-Bear how to do lots of fun tricks. My personal favourite is his silent bark (he’ll bark silently on command if he gets a treat). He’s my best friend and I smile every time I see his cute face!

He saved me from a very dark place, and I love him dearly for it.

Kita has supported and protected Savannah in many different ways while she’s been living far away from her family

Kita is truly the best dog out there. She’s the happiest and friendliest dog. She’s never yet met a dog, person, or any other animal that she doesn’t love.

I live in the UK alone as all my family live in a different country, so having her has brought me so much joy and given me a purpose every single day. Not only that, I get so much exercise and am the healthiest I’ve ever been, all thanks to this cheeky girl.

I will forever be thankful to her

One of her fun quirks is that she doesn’t really run, she hops! When she’s excited or she’s found something fun like a stick or sock, she’ll grab it and hop around. And when she greets other dogs, she goes in paws first to hug their faces.

She’s also incredibly dramatic. She loves to yell if she doesn’t get her way and she yells at other dogs when they aren’t giving her enough attention. Her new favourite thing is pill bugs. She doesn’t want to eat them, she just used her paws to play with them.

The most special thing about her is that she saved me one time. Late one evening, we were walking alone in France due to travel delays, and some man was following us and trying to engage with me, despite my attempts to get him to leave. Although she was only eight months at the time, Kita took the hint and just barked her lungs out at him until he left us alone. He tried to return but she scared him off. I will forever be thankful to her for that evening. She really is the best.

Sally was told Bob couldn’t survive his cancer, but now he’s seven years old and still thriving

Bob had to have one of his rear legs amputated at the age of three, following an osteosarcoma. He then underwent chemotherapy, and we were told that at best he would have 12-18 months. Bob didn’t hear that though. He is the most amazing dog with the most amazing zest for life.

He makes us laugh with his antics every day. On his daily walks with his mum, granny, great-uncle and nephew, he gambols like a lamb and throws himself down on the ground, rolling just for the fun of it.

He seems to know if we are down and will come and place his beautiful head on our laps, looking at us with his wonderful deep eyes. It’s as though he knows we helped him when he needed us and now, following my cancer diagnosis, he’s helping me, too.

He adores everyone he meets, and they adore him, often not noticing he only has three legs. He has been an inspiration to owners of other dogs with the same condition, some of whom have made it like him and others who haven’t. Life with Bob is a better life.

Life with Bob is a better life

When Laura’s spirits needed lifting, her dog Juno showered her with love and affection

I recently had surgery and was diagnosed with cancer. My Leonberger, Juno, has been an absolute life saver. After being released from hospital, she instinctively understood that she couldn’t jump up on me or paw me in the stomach – she was so gentle and careful.

She made me smile with her sweet, goofy face

When I was at my lowest, she made me smile with her sweet, goofy face or had me laughing as she played tirelessly with her favourite squeaky ball. She really is an incredible girl, and everyone who meets her falls in love.

Her favourite activities are bog snorkelling and visiting the local farmer’s market, where the stallholders always spoil her with treats and attention. I’m truly blessed to have this special girl in my life.

When Paula bought a miniature schnauzer for her daughter, she never expected to find out that ‘he’ was in fact a female dog – now known as Sadie

My daughter, Eve, had been on a campaign to get a dog since she was two years old. Every birthday or Christmas when we asked what she would like for a present, she always replied ‘a dog’.

At age 13, she said if we didn’t get one before she was 14 we could forget it as she’d get one when she left home. This made us realise that we had no good reason not to get one. So, for Christmas that year, we bought Eve a lead and dog bowl to show our commitment, and the day after Boxing Day we had a little mini schnauzer called Freddie.

She has us all wrapped around her little paw

After a few days, the breeder rang us to ask if we’d been to the vet (we had, and the vet said he hadn’t ‘dropped’ yet) and then asked for the puppy back as ‘he’ was a girl who someone wanted to breed from! Of course, now we were completely besotted with her so couldn’t part with her.

Sadie is small but mighty and makes her gentle presence felt – she has us all wrapped around her little paw. She makes us laugh, melts our hearts every day and has been the best thing we’ve ever done as a family.

Wolfie has brightened up Tatiana’s life with his playfulness and friendliness, and he has even helped her to make the office a happier place!

We rescued Wolfie six months ago, and since then he has made our life so much better and happier. Wolfie is perfectly trained, super intelligent and has managed to learn six new tricks even though he is an old dog!

He is sensational at the park and we often get stopped because people want to say hello and take pictures of him. He even comes with me to work and is our office pet.

Everyone that meets him loves him

He also has the cheekiest but funniest personality. You would never guess that he’s 10 years old, and everyone that meets him loves him. He adores playing with all dogs in the park and sometimes forgets how big he is – it’s so funny seeing him play with a tiny puppy!

He is affectionate and loves children, and has made our little family so much happier.