Bibi brings endless joy to Lisa’s life, and she’s also been great at helping her son with his epilepsy

Bibi is an absolute joy! She is a rescue pooch from Bulgaria, and we’ve had her for five years now. She was found on the streets with seven other pups. We saw her and wanted to give her the life she deserves.

She’s a beautiful angel that’s been sent from heaven

She’s very shy but since we’ve had our new puppy Bonnie she’s really come out of her shell. When she first arrived, she’d never seen traffic, a TV or dog toys before – everything was new to her.

My son was diagnosed with epilepsy five years ago and she always knew when he was going to have a seizure. While he was having one, she would lay by his bedroom door and bark and then lie on him. Honestly, she’s a beautiful angel that’s been sent from heaven. She’s gorgeous inside and out. We spoil her so much and she deserves it.

Nicola is so grateful to have a companion as loyal and loving as Rogue

I lost my hair in 2017 due to alopecia and developed chronic fatigue syndrome in the same year as a result of severe stress. It was a real blow, as I used to be outdoorsy and sporty, and I was left spending a lot of my time indoors and isolated.

I’d wanted a dog for years, but my working life meant it was never really possible for me to get one. In February 2018, I finally convinced my partner that a dog would be great for my confidence, for my mental health, for companionship and to encourage me to get outside again. Shortly after, we drove two hours to Leeds and back to bring home Rogue, our German Shorthaired Pointer.

She even brings me the post

She’s given me a reason to get out of bed and to get outside (twice a day, every day for at least an hour). I’ve trained her to pick things up and carry them for me including light shopping bags from the car, and she even brings me the post.

A while ago, we moved to a house with a two-acre garden and completed a two-year renovation. At every stage she was there to “help” the tradesmen and to “quality inspect” any materials arriving on site by running off down the garden with them and throwing them around in the air. She was checking their sturdiness for the job, clearly.

Now the house is finished she spends most of her time with me in the garden. I’m planning to start a veg bed and flower patch, so she helps by digging holes – just not always where I want them!

Michelle’s dog Bix may have been an unexpected addition to the family, but now he’s what makes their house a home

We met Bix in the summer of 2019. As we’d recently lost our beloved dog Hamish, we were too upset to consider adopting another. But, on a trip to the Dog’s Trust to donate some of our items, we saw Bix and fell in love straight away – it was meant to be, and 9 days later he became an official part of our family.

At first he was very timid around us, but now his cheeky character has started to shine through and he is an absolute joy to be around. His funny antics make us laugh every day, and he really does have a beautiful personality.

His cheeky character has started to shine

He loves nothing more than being at home, and upon return to the house will immediately start rolling or running around out of sheer excitement. We tried to tell him he wasn’t allowed to sit on the furniture, but he didn’t listen, and always manages to relax on the sofa and watch TV with us in the evening. He even demands his own pillow to lie on!

Recently, we’ve been video calling my parents every day. Bix insists he makes an appearance on each time, so as soon as he hears their voices he’ll dash into the room and jump in front of the phone screen to say hello.

Poppy is a huge inspiration to Joanna – no matter what life brings her, she keeps on going!

Poppy was the runt of her litter and was going free to a good home. She has had so many things go wrong in her life, but she takes it on the chin and just accepts them as being part of life. Last year she was diagnosed with low-grade mouth cancer and had a month of radiotherapy treatment. The treatment was successful, and it has not returned, but during a check-up scan in February, we discovered her gall bladder was in a poor state and she had to go on liver support meds. A scan in September found it to be worse, and she had to have it removed in October.

She brings joy to each and every day

Her recovery has been impressive, and she’s just got on with her life. On top of this, she has an allergy to certain types of pollen and requires a monthly immunotherapy injection to combat it. Poppy remains the most positive of dogs though and is a lesson to us all about accepting knock backs and getting back up and dusting yourself down again. I would be lost without her. She brings joy to each and every day with her positive outlook on life especially in the darkest of years that 2020 has been.

Cara may be a dog, but Maria-Elena believes we can all learn from her kindness

Cara comes from Romania, which is also were I’m from. She never stops surprising me with her endless love and empathy. One of the things I admire most about her is the way she cares for others. If she finds someone in trouble, she’ll immediately alert me so I can help them. She also protects anyone or anything she deems vulnerable and is a great friend to birds and small creatures.

My dog is magic

She quickly adapted to living in Devon and has even joined me in working at a nursing home. Cara helps to make the residents there smile again, bringing them some joy and laughter in their darkest moments. My dog is magic, and I could never even come close to helping others in the way shedoes every day.

With Max around, Barry doesn’t get much peace and quiet – but he wouldn’t have it any other way

Max is my West Highland Terrier. He’s always making us laugh, especially when he tries to be at one with nature – he spends hours watching the birds in our birdbath, and loves playing with the squirrels in the garden.

He likes to keep me company on the charity walks that I take part in. Last year, my wife and I completed a 16-mile walk for the British Heart Foundation. We came home absolutely shattered, but energetic Max lay down for a grand total of 10 minutes, before running around like a sprinter again! This year, I’ve completed a 3.4 million step challenge for Diabetes UK, with my little mate Max by my side all the way.

Max gets excited by anything and everything

Max gets excited by anything and everything, which is a joy to see. The first time he visited the beach, he ran around and around in circles, to the point where my wife was crying with laughter! When he first saw snow he rolled over until he was soaked through – he just has so much energy and finds happiness in everything.

He makes us smile every day. One of the things he loves most is cuddling with his mum (my wife). He’ll jump up and paw at her until she gives in and lets him flop onto her lap. He gets jealous when we’re snuggled up without him, and will even wedge his way in-between us so as not to miss out!