Though Jennie Jane was born without sight and abandoned as a puppy, Helen has strived to give her the best life possible since she rescued her

Jennie Jane is a rescue dog from Romania. She was found in a plastic bag in an orchard, along with her two brothers. They think she was about four weeks old when she was found.

She enjoys life as much as any dog that can see

On my first night with Jennie Jane, she lay next to me on my bed and put her paw around my arm. I knew then that she was a very special little dog, and I fell head over heels for her.

Jennie Jane is completely blind and was most probably born with no eyes. She amazes me every day. She’s so smart and enjoys life as much as any dog that can see. I hope you can see how special she is, too.

Maria is in awe of how much Silkie has helped her son Hayden come out of his shell

Our dog is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Silkie. We’ve had him since he was just 12 weeks old and he is now around 18 months. He is a dog that loves cuddles, playing, and just making the most of all life has to offer.

He’s made such a huge difference to our family, but particularly to my 17-year-old son Hayden, who has autism and multiple other needs. Prior to Silkie, Hayden was very withdrawn and almost didn't speak. He hadn’t left the house for months, not even to go into the garden. As his parents, we were at our wits end and so sad at the limited life he was leading.

From the moment we brought Silkie home, he and Hayden bonded. It was as if Silkie knew he needed a friend. Initially, cuddles and playing indoors were the order of the day. On a couple of occasions, Silkie would pick up his toy and go out of our back door to the garden, wagging his tail and prancing as if to say to Hayden 'Come out and play!'. At first, Hayden would just call Silkie back in, but eventually he went outside, moving further down the garden as he became more confident. Silkie encouraged him further, coaxing him out for longer and waiting patiently for him to follow, almost as if he knew he was scared.

Silkie knew Hayden needed a friend

Before we knew it, Hayden was running up and down the garden and confident enough to go out there on his own. Because he wanted to do his best for Silkie, Hayden even progressed to coming out with us on dog walks. Initially, this was just locally, but soon he began to take Silkie to more interesting places, like the vets. Thanks to Silkie, he’s no longer afraid of people, and will happily stop and chat to them about dogs. Sometimes, he even ventures into shops, which he would never even think of doing before.

Silkie has brought our family so much joy. He’s not only offered us all loyalty and companionship, but he’s transformed Hayden’s world. For the first time in a long while he is happy, and the confidence he’s gained has allowed him to grow in all areas in his life. He’s re-entered education (which he had missed for around 18 months), goes on outings and has his own friends. None of this would have happened without Silkie.

Bailey has a secret talent that keeps Niki on her toes!

As a puppy, Bailey taught himself how to open doors. Everywhere he went, be it the groomers, doggie day care or the vet, we had to remind them to lock the doors so he couldn’t escape. On one occasion, he had to go to the vets for an X-ray and, as they didn’t have a crate big enough for him, he was put in a consulting room to recover from the sedative. When he felt well enough to realise he had been left alone, he attempted to open the door and let himself out, but inadvertently caught the snib lock with this paw and locked himself in. The vet had to call the locksmith to come and release him!

Locked himself in

During the pandemic, Rosie turned out to be the perfect therapy for Laura’s elderly next-door neighbour

Over the past few years our dog Rosie has become a therapy pooch, albeit very much by accident! During lockdown, our widowed elderly next-door neighbour was self-isolating and very lonely. After a chat over the garden fence near the start of the pandemic, we arranged to shop for her and collect medicines etc.

She is an absolute treasure

But it was our Rosie who really improved her quality of life by visiting her and spending most days with her next door. She’d only come back home through the gate for meals, sleep and walks! Although we missed Rosie’s company, as a family of six, we realised she was providing her with the much-needed love and companionship that she was seriously lacking at that challenging time.

This relationship has subsequently continued. Now the pandemic has ended, our neighbour has sadly been diagnosed with cancer and Rosie has supported her throughout her treatment, giving her a reason to keep going. We are all back at school, college, uni and work, but Rosie continues to share her love with our lovely neighbour. Rosie will always be a positive influence in all of our lives. She is an absolute treasure, sharing her love with two homes!

Things were tough for Aamer and her family, but Julio brought them a new lease of life and helped them to smile again.

This past year and a half have been quite hard on me and my mum, as we have lost a lot of family members due to a number of reasons, even our beloved dog Ceaser. Things were very bad, and for the first time I felt depressed and tired of life. But then we brought our beloved puppy, Julio the German shepherd, into our lives, and slowly but surely things changed for the better.

He has been a blessing to us

He helped me make new friends on all of our walks. Ok – he does drag me along rather than walk with me, but even that helps as it’s a great workout and cheers us all up! He has a lot of energy in him, and even though that can tire me out at times, it keeps me on my toes and helps me stay motivated.

He loves my 14-year-old son, and he loves him too and has learnt a sense of responsibility thanks to Julio. In short, he has been a blessing to us – although, our sofa definitely does not feel the same way, as he’s chewed it all up!

James wasn’t always certain about getting a dog, but as soon as he met Hope, he fell in love

I think it's important to start by saying I wasn't convinced about getting a dog. I had never had one before and was concerned about the commitment. I knew that if we had one, it would be our responsibility to meet all their needs and give them an amazing life, and that isn’t always easy. My wife, however, was sold on the idea, so I went along!

As it turns out, she was completely right – getting a dog was 100% the right decision for us. We found gorgeous Hope, a Border Collie working dog who hadn't quite made the grade on the farm. It didn’t take her long to become part of the family. The moment she saw all her new toys and comfy bed, she was instantly settled.

She tries to herd us around the house

I think she still has some of her old farm habits, because sometimes she tries to herd us around the house. If me and my wife are in separate rooms, she’ll flit between us until we’re all in the same place. She just wants our little family to be cuddled up together, which is why you'll normally find her sitting in-between me and my wife on the sofa.

She always greets me at the door when I finish work, even in the early hours. Hope has completed our family and I wouldn't change anything in the world about her.