Erin came into Lucy’s life while she was still at university and, despite everyone telling her it wasn’t the right time, she’s never looked back

I was still at uni when I got Erin. Every single person I knew told me NOT to get a dog so young, especially a border collie as they’re known for their rather relentless nature. But, after listening to endless puppy podcasts and reading countless books, I travelled all the way to Wales to meet this three-month-old puppy.

Still, no amount of research could have prepared me for what was to come. Within the first five seconds of meeting me, Erin had peed all over my carefully selected outfit and licked my face raw.

She’s brought an energy to my life that I’ve never felt before

As soppy as it sounds, I knew she was the one then and there. I cannot express how blessed I feel to now be the proud owner of a beautiful girl who is ball-obsessed, barks at anything that moves and will lick every inch of your face when given the opportunity.

She’s got me through two lockdowns and the rest of my degree, but most of all she’s brought an energy to my life that I’ve never felt before. She is completely crazy, but I wouldn’t change her for the world.

While volunteering for British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Lizzi discovered that Goose had an unexpected superpower

Goose is a Cyprus street dog. One of her best qualities is her kindness and intuition – she comes to work with me out on the beach and puts my coaching clients at ease. She’s also a volunteer SAS Rep and a Marine Mammal Medic Search and Rescue Dog.

For SAS, she helps run beach cleans and is extremely patient with all the children. She’s also self-trained in finding ghost fishing nets for us to collect. We bring her to fundraisers too and she acts as a great draw. She is so mellow and relaxed, and people gravitate towards her. When I’m asked what breed she is, I say she is a total mix and that she must be made with 100% love.

One of her best qualities is her kindness and intuition

For British Divers Marine Life Rescue, we attend callouts to sick and injured seal pups and Goose is brilliant at locating them. Ordinarily we would say keep dogs well away from seals – and to be fair, Goose keeps her distance – but after attending a great many callouts, she must have realised what we were looking for. One evening, we were on the beach in the dark, searching for a seal pup that had been called in with vague location details. We had her on the lead, and after around 45 minutes in the pitch black we were giving up. So, we took her off-lead and saw her blue collar light disappear back to an area we had already searched.

She climbed about ten feet up a rock, then stopped still. As we approached, we saw that ten metres away from her, fast asleep in a rock crevice, was our poorly seal pup. Since then, we have paid a lot more attention to her when out on rescues and she always leads us straight to them, which is a great help when time can be critical. I can say for certain that she’s saved many seal pup lives.

Goose is loved by all who meet her and she holds a huge part in our hearts. For a small dog, she has made a lifelong impact on us, and we are eternally grateful to have found each other. She is my hero and teaches me life lessons every day!

Brody is always around to look out for Amy and her family

Brody is the most loving dog. He brought my partner and I closer togetherwhen we took him on his daily walks during lockdown. He is patient, caring and playful, and he always looks after our new-born son, laying with him when he cries, or staying at our feet when we feed him.

He always looks after our new-born son

He also has a great sense of humour and a very playful character. For instance, he likes to survey the neighbourhood as though he’s a watchdog, he barks at his treats and spends hours playing with his ball. Brody is a truly special dog.

Simba came into Deirdre and her husband’s life at one of their lowest moments, but over time he’s helped them heal

Simba came to us as a 14-week-old puppy. We’d recently lost our first cockapoo, Ellie, to hypothermia at 17 months, after she fell in a river in a freak accident while chasing a bird. We were devastated, and coming home to just an empty cage and her favourite toy was horrible.

I knew that I had to do something, so when I saw the advert for Simba, I made an enquiry. We went to see him that evening and we brought him home the very next day. Simba has helped us come to terms with our loss – he makes us laugh, he makes us cry, he exasperates us beyond measure, but he is always there for us when we are sad or upset.

Simba has helped us come to terms with our loss

Simba will never replace Ellie, who’ll always have a piece of our hearts, but he’s so loving and very much a mummy’s boy. He’s my shadow, following me everywhere and crying if I leave the room. He also steals things he shouldn’t, like underwear, socks or anything else he knows belongs to us and is out of bounds – even my mobile phone! I think I’m on phone case number six because he likes to chew them.

Simba's my life. He doesn’t have a nasty bone in his body and would defend his pack (my husband, myself and our best friend) to the ends of the earth to stop us getting hurt. He’s a very special dog, and I’m so glad that I found him at one of the worst times in my life. He’s my rock and I love him beyond words.

Sweet and funny Marley has come leaps and bounds since he was first adopted into Jo’s family

Marley is a rescue dog that we adopted around 10 months ago. When we adopted him, he was very underweight, dirty, scared and had visible wounds and cuts.

He’s now the sweetest, most affectionate and loving dog who adores cuddles, tummy rubs, playing games and snuggling up on the sofa with us. He’s also very gentle with my two children and lets them play with him, pick him up and cuddle him. He sits so well for a groom and brush, too!

He’s honestly the best, most loving dog we could have ever wished to adopt

Marley was starved when he was younger, so now he absolutely loves his food. He goes crazy at dinner time – howling, barking and jumping up and down like a kangaroo waiting to be fed. He loves his treats and barks in the corner of the kitchen where they’re kept whenever he’s hungry. It’s hilarious.

Marley also has a cheeky habit of jumping onto our kitchen table to try and steal some food. We have even found him on the worktop occasionally!

He loves his walks, too, and always likes to sniff stuff and follow cats. He’s honestly the best, most loving dog we could have ever wished to adopt.

Julian has learnt a lot from his two dogs Gracie and Sophie, who brighten up his every day

Gracie is a lovely Golden Retriever, who lives with her daughter Sophie. Sophie turned two years old on the first of December, but she didn't take much notice of her birthday celebrations. She was much more interested in chasing the pheasants that roam across the fields near our house – they make a wonderful chucking sound when they leave the ground, and Gracie loves nothing more than to watch her run after them.

Dogs are an example to us all

On one occasion, the pair of them decided to chase after a herd of about 50 deer. Of course, they never manage to catch anything, but it is quite entertaining to watch them try!

Dogs are an example to us all. While we moan and groan, dogs are always positive and happy to be here. In the morning, we have to have a cup of tea or coffee before we can get anything done – but dogs are up with a shake of their head and a wag of their tail, bright and happy whatever the weather and however early it is. We can learn so much from our four-legged best friends.