After a turbulent start in life, Chubbs finally found a home when Vicki and her family came to visit his rescue centre

Chubbs is a black and white rescue dog, a Staffy Collie cross, who originally hailed from Ireland. His Mum was a stray, who was taken into MADRA, with a litter of eight puppies in August 2019.

Chubbs was originally rehomed to a lovely family but sadly their circumstances changed and a few months later they had to give him back. He was then transferred to Birmingham Dogs Home in Wolverhampton for rehoming in the UK, and his siblings went to homes in Galway, the Midlands and Dublin.

Our daughter works at BDH Wolverhampton and we’d spent a long time deciding whether getting a dog was right for us. One day we went to visit her at work and the rest, as they say, is history!

He’s made our world complete

There was this beautiful floof of a pup, sat looking goofy in his window. We walked past him several times and each time he caught our eye. We looked at lots of residents that day, but it was Chubbs that tugged our heartstrings the most. So, a week later, we drove home with our new family member.

I was intrigued to know more about him, and through the power of Facebook, I was also able to trace some of his siblings. We still exchange messages with their owners today!

He was called Chubbs as a pup, and though we toyed with other names, it didn’t seem quite right to change. He’s VERY food oriented, and as I always say, ‘Chubbs by name and nature’.

I said that Chubbs is a ‘rescue’, but what I didn’t make clear is that he also rescued us. He’s brought so much love and happiness into our lives. We now have a purpose – a reason to get up, a reason to go out in all weathers, a reason to explore new dog-friendly places and a reason to rush home as soon as we can for more love, fun and adventure. He’s made our world complete.

Bruno has been helping Rachel and her family heal after the tragic loss of their previous pup

Bruno is my whole life! In April 2020, at the beginning of Covid, we were lucky enough to become paw-rents to Barnum, our first Newfoundland. Our love for Barnum was instantaneous and we enjoyed watching him grow. But just after he celebrated his first birthday, he became ill with a large tumour in his liver. We had no choice but to put him to sleep. My heart broke.

I never imagined my heart would ever heal, or that I’d be able to be happy again. But in May 2021, Bruno was born. Sadly, his mum passed away from heart failure after a c-section, so he was hand reared, and I knew I would have to be an extra special mama to him.

Eight weeks later, he came to live with us in Scotland. My very broken heart was about to start healing. From the first moment I saw Bruno, I knew Barnum had sent him to help me heal. It was instant love, and it has grown every day.

Bruno is 22 months old now and is the most gentle and loving dog. He knows when I’m sad and he’s always there to make me happy. Even when I’m happy, he has the ability to make me happier. He has healed our hearts and makes us smile every day.

He’s the sweetest puppy, but he weighs in at 66kg, so his zoomies are something special, especially when he’s running over for a cuddle. He loves to kiss, cuddle and sit on our feet – or sometimes even our knees! He’s the biggest bundle of love and I love absolutely everything about him. His love is special – there are no words to describe it.

He has healed our hearts

Ellie and Cher have been supporting each other in equal measure since the 2020 lockdown

Cher has been a massive influence in my life. I adopted her from Romania in the first national lockdown in May 2020. Although it took a lot of patience for her to become completely comfortable with me, the bond we have now is incredible.

She provides comfort to anyone who needs it

Whenever she's frightened, she seeks me for comfort, and whenever I feel ill or low, she is there ready to cuddle up to me. She has also proven that she is a brilliant therapy dog as she provides comfort to anyone who needs it. I have truly been blessed with such a caring dog.

Even though she is so good, she does have her cheeky quirks like sneakily calculating ways to pinch food off the table when she thinks you’re not looking, or acting cute in front of my grandad who has dementia to get as many treats as she can.

Despite being adamant he didn’t want a dog, Gordon fell in love with Arthur at first sight

Although other people’s dogs didn’t bother me, I never planned to have my own. But my daughter wanted a dachshund, so I agreed to get one after a job change.

When my wife and daughter brought Arthur home as an eight-week-old pup, they immediately fell in love. With eyes to die for and a charming and bubbly personality, it took me just a few minutes to feel the exact same way about him.

We can’t imagine ever being without him

I was shocked at my sudden transformation. From sleeping inside my fleece to joining me on my motorcycle, Arthur came with me everywhere. He even started sleeping with us in bed! And the rest is history.

Five years on, Arthur still sleeps in my fleece and is as beautiful and stubborn as ever. We also have five dachshunds now, so he sparked a complete change in our lifestyle – and I love every second of it. We can’t imagine ever being without him.

Whether he’s making them laugh or helping them recover from surgery, Riley is always there for Abbigail and her family

My dog Riley is the love of my life. From the moment we met him, he was so quirky. He tried to run off down the farm rather than say hello to his new owners, but he still fell asleep in our laps on the way home.

He is such a lovable dog, always asking for attention or cuddles and he plays just like a toddler! He’s helped our family through so much. For instance, when he was a puppy, I had broken my arm and he helped it heal quicker because I was so eager to play with him that I started regaining the use of the muscles I’d lost. So much so that I didn’t even need physio after healing because Riley had already helped me gain my muscle back.

He’s helped our family through so much

My mom has also had major surgery twice and both times he was there for her, cuddling her and being gentle when she comes home, and watching her every move when she is ill – this includes warning everyone about the postman!

He sounds like a very large dog from his bark but anyone who has met Riley would know he’s very lovable. All he wants to do is say hello and give cuddles to anyone. He is so special and a big part of our family. He gets gifts at Christmas and on his birthday and signs cards for the rest of the family for their birthdays. He is always so energetic and happy, which just makes you smile. Riley is my positive outlook on the world, and I don’t know where I would be without him.

Blaze the bulldog was exactly what Chloe and her family needed after the loss of their previous dog

Blaze is a one-year-old Olde Tyme English bulldog. He’s such a funny character and brings joy to the entire family. When we first got him, he couldn't walk and had no use of his back legs so, once he had the all-clear from the vets that it wasn't neurological, we had to teach him to walk.

Despite still having weakness in his legs, Blaze bombs around the house, constantly getting into mischief. He loves to steal socks and shoes, or anything he's not meant to have and hide behind the couch with it. He’s also friendly with our elderly hamster.

He bombs around the house, constantly getting into mischief

Blaze comes everywhere with us, and we’ve recently come back from Crail, Scotland where he was a fan favourite. He comes swimming with us down the beach, and even has doggy swimming lessons.

After we lost our old dog, Bruno, at the age of 13, our lives felt empty without a dog and the house felt quiet. We were all mourning the loss of our best friend. Blaze has definitely filled a hole in our hearts – and our beds. He loves to have a good snooze!