Christina wasn’t a big fan of dogs until she met Gizmo – now, she’s truly besotted!

Before getting my pup, Gizmo, I never really understood the whole dog thing. I wondered why are people so obsessed with their pets?

This completely changed when I met Gizmo. She’s my baby, my precious little puppy and my sweet, never-does-a-thing-wrong-in-her-life angel.

I love her with all my heart

If I could carry her around in a baby carrier on my chest, I would (without embarrassment or hesitation!). In fact, I have more than two thousand photos of her on my phone, and I spend more money on her diet and healthcare needs than I do my own.

I pull myself out of bed come rain or shine to take her for a walk each day. She gives me purpose, she makes me happy, and I love her with all my heart!

Ian knows that he’ll never find another dog as loving and loyal as Jax

Jax is the happiest, craziest dog I have ever met.He has an abundance of energy, but as soon as one of our young children enters the room, he’ll instantly calm down and settle with them.

He loves everyone and everything

I had a serious accident not long after adopting Jax, and though I was still fairly new to him, he never left my side. He loves everyone and everything, including our other dogs and cats. He’s even great friends with our rabbit!

I have always been canine-crazy and very close to all my past dogs, but I’ve never had a bond as special as the one I have with Jax. He’s my sidekick, my rock and my very best friend.

Chantel wasn’t prepared for how much she would love Xiaoxiao, and now he’s always on-hand to comfort her, support her son, and even groom her cats

Xiaoxiao (pronounced chowchow) was a street dog in China. He was rescued and adopted by me in October 2019. He’s slightly wonky so he can’t walk massive distances.

On the first night he came to me, he put his arms around my neck and just wouldn’t stop licking me. He spent that night asleep on my bed in my arms, and he’s slept there ever since.

I suffer from a few mental health conditions which affect my moods severely. Xiaoxiao always knows what I need in every moment. If I am angry or sad, he will sit next to me and lick me, then put himself on my lap to cuddle.

He is always by my side everywhere I go

He is always by my side everywhere I go, no matter what. Xiaoxiao has a thing about my socks. When I come home, I have to give him my socks or he will literally try and take them off my feet! He often plays with my cats as well – they run around together, and he helps groom them.

My son is currently on the road to being diagnosed with autism and Xiaoxiao is so good with him. If he is having a bad day, Xiaoxiao will sit with him, just letting my son stroke him while he calms down.

When I rescued Xiaoxiao, I had no idea how special he would be to me. Nothing I do doesn’t involve him. He came camping last summer for four days in Dartmoor, which he loved. We walked for miles, spent the nights in a tent on the moor and had the most amazing time.

Despite being an older dog, Bella has bounced back from her recent health scares to accompany Grace on her European adventures

We got Bella in January 2020, and she has been the best companion. She’s a rescue dog from Battersea so has come with a few challenges – luckily, she will do anything for a treat! Since we adopted Bella, she’s had a couple of health scares, including a bout of chest cancer and her cruciate went too. We aren’t sure how she managed to hurt her cruciate, considering she spends a lot of her time under a mountain of blankets on the sofa...

She’s added so much to our adventures

Luckily, she has bounced back from all of this to join us in our campervan for a tour of Europe. We’ve been away since April touring the continent, from Amsterdam to Bulgaria. Bella has mastered lots of modes of transport too. She’s been in cable cars, a blow-up kayak and a doggie rucksack when we’re on our bikes. She even joined us at the top of Jungfraujoch, which is the highest train station in Europe.

Bella has been such an angel the entire time and has added so much to our adventures. We even have personalised bandanas for each country so that we can keep track of where she has been! We couldn’t imagine a better dog to have in the van.

Natalie has always wanted a dog, but Maia has brought her more happiness than she could have ever imagined.

We bought Maia because everything in our life was going so right, and the only thing that was missing was her! We went around and looked at a few litters, but nothing felt right until she climbed into our arms. I was never allowed pets growing up, so to have her in my life now is a love I never knew. She is so loving and loyal. Truly one of a kind, she loves to lie at one end of the room rolling the ball to me and enjoys laying on the sofa with her head in my lap.

One of a kind

She’s the best dog a person could ask for. She pulls us up on our down days and brings us higher on our good ones. A dog is the only thing in life that loves you more than itself.

Eddie joined Sam’s family as a companion for her other dog Alfie, and since then he’s made everyone’s lives better!

When we got Eddie, we already had one dog under the age of two called Alfie. Alfie has always been full of energy. He loves playing with other dogs in the park, particularly when he’s being chased, so he can show off his speed! We knew Alfie would love a dog companion, so we brought Eddie home.

From day one, they became best friends

From day one, they became best friends, doing everything together! They spend most of the day playing with the same toys and chasing each other around the park, garden or house, and then evenings are spent cuddling up and sleeping together.

Eddie adores his older brother, following him around everywhere and copying everything he does. Because of this, he’s learnt everything so quickly! Eddie is also one of the cuddliest puppies I’ve ever known – he loves being around people and his favourite thing is to snuggle in the evenings on the sofa. Eddie has brought both us and Alfie nothing but joy!