Bear has taught his owner Trupti how to appreciate life’s simple pleasures

Bear was adopted in 2020 and became my ray of hope during the pandemic.

He’s my inspiration

He’s my inspiration for finding joy in the little things in life, too. For example, he loves rolling in freshly cut grass, jumping in puddles, running into the waves, soaking up the sun, digging holes and burying his favourite toys before forgetting about them.

He’s given me new meaning to the phrase ‘there’s nothing like the present’.

Even though she finds walking difficult, Daisy never lets that stop her from enjoying her life with her owner Gilli

Daisy is so brave. She has a neurological condition that makes her extremely wobbly on her back legs. But she just gets on with life, always happy and wagging her tail. If she falls over, she just gets up and carries on with what she was doing. She goes to hydrotherapy once a week and loves her therapist.

You can’t feel down when Daisy is around

You can’t feel down when Daisy is around as she’s just consistently happy. She makes me smile every day and has really helped me over the years, especially when I was recovering from radiotherapy and major surgery for oral cancer, where half of my tongue had to be removed and rebuilt.

Daisy didn’t care what I looked or sounded like when I was getting my new tongue round speaking clearly. She is simply my joy, along with her 9-year-old Labrador brother Kobi and our five cats. They all keep me on my toes and constantly smiling. Our dancing wobbly dog is simply amazing.

From her garden patrols to her endless games of fetch, Daisy has always been a light in Fiona’s life

Daisy is a typical Jack Russell, or not so! She’s half human, or more. We have had her since a tiny pup with a squished nose resembling a guinea pig, only smaller. She has grown into the most enchanting, loving dog, who’s very much part of our family.

She loves tummy rubs, ‘special biscuits’ aka treats, and sleeping on our bed (she hardly moves but occasionally creeps up for a cuddle). She patrols our garden with aplomb, chasing pigeons and crows away and protecting our hedgehogs so gently. Rats? Well, she routes them out fearlessly and fast and brings her catch into the house with great pride.

She has grown into the most enchanting, loving dog

Daisy is an absolute darling. She is hyper intelligent and knows many words, including the obvious ‘walkies’, as well as ‘greenhouse’, ‘summerhouse’ and ‘orange ball’. The orange ball is a practice soft cricket ball that’s her absolute favourite and she fetches it endlessly, until I'm exhausted and she's still going!

Sadly, she's developed a heart murmur, so exercise is now a little restricted and she sleeps a lot. We hope to get her a Jack Russell puppy next spring. She is so friendly with other dogs, and I think it would be a real bonus in her life and might very slightly help our grieving when she passes. Daisy is simply the best!

Life has thrown some challenges in Scott’s way, but with Archie by his side, there’s nothing he can’t overcome.

Last year I retired from my job for medical reasons and was feeling pretty down. Thankfully, Archie the four-year-old Labrador came to the rescue by becoming my companion dog.

Archie brightens up every day

Since we’ve all been spending much more time at home recently, he’s been a godsend to me and brings a smile to my face every day. When I'm lying in bed he’ll come up and lay beside me, and if he can sense I’m feeling down he’ll give me lots of cuddles. He even throws in a few licks as well, just to show how much he loves me. He gets plenty of belly tickles and affection in return, of course!

Archie brightens up every day and has improved my quality of life, especially this past year when things have been so different.

Bruno has allowed Ellie and her partner to both overcome the loss of previous dogs

After losing my old dog Kai in November 2020, I was absolutely heartbroken. I couldn’t go to work, couldn’t eat or drink, my hair started to fall out – a lot. I said to myself I’d never get another dog, as I didn’t want to get heartbroken again. I met my partner in May 2021. He lost his dog in 2019 and he had the exact same problems with heartbreak.

For our one year anniversary, my partner bought me Bruno. I was so happy, I cried for hours! Since having Bruno, he has mended my heart and fixed a piece of me that was missing. He has cured my anxiety and depression, I am off my medication now for mental health. I was due to have the gastric sleeve this year, however, he has given me the motivation to go on long walks, I have lost nearly 7 stone now!

He is such an intelligent dog for nine months old

My partner is type 1 diabetic. Bruno magically knows when his sugars are high or low. He will jump all over me and won’t stop until I check my partner’s sugars, and would you believe it, they are either dangerously high or low. He is such an intelligent dog for nine months old. He is the best little man and he really deserves to be dog of the year or month as without him, I wouldn’t be here today. He truly is my little angel.

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!