Sarah’s family adores Jeffrey – a small dog that’s made a big impact!

Jeffrey, our beloved Miniature Schnauzer, became part of our family as a companion to our teenage son.

At the time, our son was lonely and missing his siblings (who being eight years older had already left home). He was also sad after being bullied for several months at school.

Our son took great joy in training Jeffrey to do all sorts of tricks, as well as taking care of him and taking him for walks. Jeffrey was his loyal companion, waiting at the foot of the stairs by the front door all day when he left for school and squealing and leaping with delight when he returned home. This built our son’s confidence and helped him to make new friends.

He loves nothing more than everyone coming home

Our son has left home now, and since he can’t keep a dog in rental accommodation, Jeffrey is looked after by us parents. He follows me around, takes us for a walk every day and when our son returns, he’s beside himself with joy! He’s loyal to the whole family and loves nothing more than everyone coming home.

Jeffrey keeps us active and his favourite place to go for a walk is the beach near where we live. He also loves walks in the forest, parks and the local area, and he enjoys saying hello to everyone! He used to play fetch with a ball, but since he’s lost most of his teeth, he can only do that with very soft toys now. He’s extremely friendly and has a great personality. He’s curious, inquisitive, adventurous and enjoys a good cuddle with a tummy and neck rub!

Family life is complete with Jeffrey.

Peanut never fails to bring a smile to Bella’s face, filling her home with love and a little bit of mischief

Ever since Peanut came into my life, every day has become an adventure. At just four months old, this little Frenchie already knows how to keep me on my toes with his sassy personality and hilarious antics.

His mischievousness makes me smile

Whether he’s chasing his own tail or stubbornly refusing to move until he gets his favourite treat, Peanut fills my home with laughter and love. His playful mischievousness makes me smile, even on the toughest days.

Peanut truly has this special ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Yvonne was at a low point, but the moment Whiskey Sox bounded into her life, things changed for the better.

I was off work after being diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression and had been thinking about getting a dog for a while. We decided it would provide me with a focus, and since I would be at home, I’d have the time to help with the house training.

My husband, sister in law and I went to the breeders. She had a room of six-week-old puppies. As we talked, her 'house' dogs and a three-month-old pup wandered into the room. She was the runt of the previous litter, and the breeder had kept her back to build her up, but the arrival of the new puppies meant no one wanted her. Well, I did!

You couldn’t get a playing card between us

We took her home and named her Whiskey. From the very first day she was 'my' dog. She slept next to me, snuggled with me on the sofa (you couldn't get a playing card between us) and followed me everywhere.

I have since returned to work, but she is still my security blanket, my treasure and my dog. When I’m at work she stays with my husband, but I’m still her favourite. In a household of men, we stick together!

Maisie takes it upon herself to look after everyone, her owner Louise and their pet guinea pigs included!

Maisie is a loving, sociable dog. Even though she has doggy dementia, she still adores life and loves long walks, body boarding and rock pooling! I love going with her and watching her snorkel – once she even caught a crab!

She treats our guinea pigs like her puppies

She also loves little kids and treats our guinea pigs like her puppies, grooming them and sharing (or stealing) the veg from their plates as she loves sprouts! She will do a repertoire of tricks if you don’t give her a treat.

She is intelligent, stubborn and intuitive and can identify when my partner is in pain to the point when she will lie against her back and refuse to move when she has a flare up. Maisie has also helped me through tough times, allowing me to gradually get from agoraphobic to being able to go out with her by my side.

Four years after their first meeting, Keiba finally managed to rescue Dovah from her negligent owner and welcome her into the family

Dovah inspires me to live every day to its fullest. When she was six, I was asked to foster her for one month by her current owner who was going out of the country to study. I met Dovah once and her absolute love for life and instant desire to sit on my lap made me happily agree to help out.

One month quickly turned into six with little to no contact from her owner. By this point, myself and the cats living in the house had bonded deeply with Dovah. We were offered the chance to adopt her by the uninterested owner and, after we ecstatically agreed, the owner went back on her word and came and collected our sweet Dovah. She lived in a flat and Dovah was left for long hours daily, or sent to different dog sitters.

Dovah inspires me to live every day to its fullest

Eventually, after two years, I got the message I had always hoped for – Dovah was finally being rehomed. Right away I went to get her. By this time, we also had a second dog called Kleo. Although the cats came running to Dovah as soon as they saw her, she had returned to us with a whole host of behavioural issues. Adding to that, Kleo was in pain while waiting for surgery on her cruciate ligaments. Unfortunately, the girls would fight and we all had to work very hard to make things work out.

Fast forward to just days before Dovah’s 10th birthday and, after several surgeries for mammary cancer, she is fully bonded with Kleo in her forever home.

Despite this journey, every day Dovah gets up full of life. She loves harder, making you dedicate time in your day to cuddles and opening your heart to her. She runs out on the hill with more love for the outdoors than any dog or person I have ever met. She inspires me to live in the moment and keep my chin up.

After losing one of their dogs a few years ago, Sally and her family have been treasuring every moment with Lily

Lily is the most loyal, faithful Labrador. We’ve had her since she was a pup, along with our Labradoodle Ozzy, who we lost to cancer in April 2020. Lily adored Ozzy and we were afraid she would pine. But thankfully her personality has shone through. She’s very greedy and has emptied bins and hoovered up the flour that we put out to discourage ants.

I can’t bear to think what life would be like without her

She’s struggled with walking long distances lately, so we bought her a large dog buggy for longer trips. She wasn’t keen at first, but now she loves it and prefers riding to walking. She sits just like a princess, enjoying the journeys. She’s never slept on the sofa before, but ever since we’ve had our son and his dog staying with us, she enjoys jumping on the sofa each night after we've gone to bed.

She was also named after the Queen (Lilibet), as she was due to be born on the Queen's birthday. I can’t bear to think what life would be like without our truly adorable Lily, who everyone loves. And she loves them too, especially if they have a treat in their pocket.