After a difficult start, Janey is finally living the life she always deserved with Maria and her family

Our Janey is a rescue dog from Romania, who was saved from living life on the streets and brought to the UK by Blind Dog Rescue UK. She had experienced dreadful cruelty and was fostered by a wonderful lady in Derby.

She brightens my day every day

We drove from Essex to Derby to collect her. She was very quiet at first but soon settled in with us and our cats. She’s cheeky, funny and very cuddly. Our cats trust her, and my grandchildren adore her.

She’s so gentle and sweet-natured despite her rough start in life. She’s very precious to us and brightens my day every day.

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!

Since adopting him, Natalie has watched Duke grow from a timid puppy into a cheeky, happy dog.

I met Duke when I was on holiday in Zante, visiting the dog shelter we often volunteer at. The day we arrived, a little dog was running around inside, clearly terrified. We had to use our ham sandwiches to try and coax him towards us! Luckily it worked, and we got him back into his pen. We kept an eye on him for the next week or so, but sadly, on the last day of our trip, he became ill and had to go to the vets. We sat with him right up until we had to get on our plane home – it was heartbreaking.

The vet kept us up-to-date and a week later, Duke had recovered and was allowed back to the shelter. By this point, we had decided to adopt him and bring him home to live with us when he was ready.

Duke is now a solid part of the family

He arrived three months later, extremely nervous and unsure of everything. We took him to meet my parents’ three other dogs, who are also from Greece. He was nervous at first but he did well, soon becoming best friends with one of the dogs Ella. Ten months on and Duke is now a solid part of the family. Since I work from home, he’s had to learn how to deal with my constant company. He likes to come and poke his head into the camera while I’m on a call to say hello to my colleagues!

He still has his moments and he's a very skittish boy, but once he's approved you (he does this by sticking his nose in your face and licking your ears), he’ll happily sit on top of you and wait for a tummy rub!

Like all the other rescues we work with, Duke has his 'quirks', some of which will stay with him forever and some that will disappear the more confident he gets. It’s lovely to watch his character grow as he gets more comfortable around us. He’s come such a long way already, both physically and mentally, and I can’t wait to watch him blossom even more.

Mille will do anything to help owner Claire’s elderly parents

Millie is a 13-year-old Border terrier who looks after my elderly parents. You can see that she really cares about them. Every morning, she gets up and goes into their bedroom to check they they’re ok. When she goes on awalk with them, she never walks too fast because she knows they can’t keep up

She really cares about them

Once, my dad collapsed in the living room, and Millie lay by his side and would not move until the ambulance came. We basically had to force her to step aside, and once he’d been taken away, she became very sad and lay in her bed until he arrived back home. She didn’t perk up until he came back home, when she became so excited and happy again.

When Monkey isn’t competing in shows with Diana, he’s spreading cheer to those who need it most

Named after his love for climbing trees, Monkey enriches my life as well as the lives of many others.

The change he makes to my life is remarkable

We volunteer with Therapy Dogs Nationwide where he brings joy to people in a dementia home, school and prison – all of which are places where the comfort of a dog can brighten difficult days.

The change he makes to my own life is remarkable, too. He loves agility, so we compete in shows. I’m a pensioner but it provides me with a great social life as well as a reason to stay fit and active!

Throughout every step of Lauren’s journey, Alfie has been a loyal and protective companion. He’ll never stop looking after her!

I bought Milo as a puppy just after I was diagnosed with cancer (aged 20). He was old enough to come home with us just two days after I had major surgery.

He was a lovely pup, very caring and always eager to stay near me. When he was nine months old, I had another, even bigger operation, which affected my arm and face – and Milo was a dream. He was so gentle and careful not to touch the affected areas, and he always lay next to me to keep me company while I was recovering.

He was so gentle

Similarly, when I had six weeks of radiotherapy treatment, he provided me with so much love and continuous support. He’s almost six now and I’ve just reached five years of being cancer free!

I love how he still twirls in circles when he wants a treat and gets so excited when visitors come over. He still likes to sleep across my lap, even now I’m recovered – he’s like my own little therapy dog.