Roni and the rest of his litter had a difficult start in life, but this hasn’t stopped him from being from the most kind and loving dog to his adopted owner, Ruthy

Geronimo or ‘Roni’ as we call him, was one of seven puppies. He has five brothers and one sister. Unfortunately, the litter was rejected by the mother, so the puppies ended up at Last Hope Animal Rescue.

He’s brought so much to us in such a short amount of time

From there, he and his brother Charlie were fostered by a wonderful woman in Salisbury. She adopted his brother, and we were then lucky enough to adopt Roni!

The whole neighbourhood have met him and have loved welcoming him. He’s brought so much to us in such a short amount of time. After several difficult years of loss (our previous dog, my father, my nanny and my best friend), my neighbours have said, “He’s put a smile back on your face. You look like your old self again!”.

As long as Jennifer has Alfie by her side, she can get through anything

I got Alfie during the pandemic as I live alone and wanted some companionship. Because of all the lockdowns, I barely left the house and my mood was constantly low.

I had been saving for a dog for a while but with the prices jumping up I couldn't find any I could afford. I randomly found an advert for Alfie and managed to be the first person to get in contact – it was clearly meant to be. He has brought so much happiness into my life and is helping me to get out of the house and interacting with people again.

He has brought me so much happiness

Since getting Alfie, I have been focusing on his training, which has given me something to do while spending all this time at home. He has made such a massive difference to my mood and quality of life. I honestly don't know what I would do without him.

Rosie makes every day brighter for Jane and her family

Rosie, who was born on the summer solstice, lights up the room without saying a word. She’s at her happiest when she’s running along the beach chasing the birds, though she never actually catches any. Rosie loves to skip over rocks and never slips, no matter how much seaweed there is.

She’s ginger, fluffy and loyal

She’s ginger, fluffy and loyal, and our whole family absolutely adores her. All of us have a picture of her saved as our screensaver, and she’s definitely the favourite family member. She’s taught us love, loyalty and trust and that’s something we will always be grateful for.

Zoe’s dog Kes makes the world a happier place with his assistance skills and infectious happiness

Kes is my little hearing dog-in-training. I got him just eight days after I sent off my last trainee as a fully qualified assistance dog, and boy did he arrive with a bang! He’s a gorgeous chocolate Cocker with big, innocent eyes, but don’t let that fool you – really, he’s a crazy bundle of energy who keeps me on my toes every day.

He’s also a notorious sock thief

From the minute he wakes me up to the moment he goes to bed he’s causing mischief. He’s also a notorious sock thief. Kes will take them off the airer, radiator or even out of the washing machine as I unload it! He also adores being in the water, whether that means swimming, river splashing, jumping in muddy puddles or even just dipping his nose in his water bowl.

Kes is the friendliest dog alive. When you come downstairs or through the front door, he greets you like you’ve been gone forever. It’s adorable, the way he starts wiggling and wagging his tail with excitement. His love for life is contagious. I’ve never met a happier, crazier dog and I think the world of him. I just wish I could bottle up his energy and drink some!

Mabel loves travelling everywhere with her owners – she’s even explored London and been on the tube!

Mabel came into our lives after we lost our Jack Russell Rosie at 16 years old.

The hole left in our hearts was so large, but when we met Mabel, we fell in love instantly, as she looks like a fox and is absolutely gorgeous!

She adores going to new places

She’s a lovely girl who comes everywhere with us on our travels across the UK in our motorhome. She’s even stayed at the Andaz Hotel in London and travelled on an Elizabeth line train. Safely sitting in her backpack, she explored central London and loved it.

She adores going to new places but also loves coming home to see our nine grandchildren and four ‘grandogs’.

We are now off on a three-week adventure to Wales, and again, Mabel will be visiting many of our beautiful sights and discovering new sniffs.

Since she moved in with Ashlea’s family, Millie’s transformed from a fearful rescue dog to a happy, loving pooch

Millie is a rescue Golden Retriever who has been part of our family for just over a year now, alongside her sister Bella, who is a rescue tortoiseshell cat.

We live in the Forest of Dean so Millie’s absolute favourite thing is long hikes through the forest, where she can run after squirrels and wallow in every muddy puddle, pond and stream she can find.

Millie was a little nervous when we first got her, but now she’ll go up to any person she sees for fuss and cuddles. Unfortunately for her, some people are less keen for cuddles after she’s had a good mud roll.

Millie was previously kept in an outside run and had never been in a house before we brought her home, but she’s now fully adapted to a life of luxury, snoozing on the sofa or our bed! She’s a beautiful, gentle and sweet-souled girl. I may be biased, but to me, she is the dog of the year every year.

To me, she is the dog of the year every year