After Keegan supported Julie through her own ill health, she knew he was the perfect candidate to become a qualified therapy dog

Keegan is a ten-year-old West Highland White Terrier. In 2017, I had to take ill health retirement after 38 years of working for the NHS. I felt worthless and on the scrap heap.

Later that year, I spoke to volunteers for Therapy Dogs Nationwide at a dog show. I just knew Keegan was the perfect therapy dog. When I was not well, he wouldn't leave my side. He always knows when I need an extra cuddle, and he sleeps with his head on mine.

Keegan has such a big heart and I wanted to share his love

Keegan has such a big heart and I wanted to share his love. I applied to get him assessed to be a therapy dog. Of course, he passed! Now, he goes into schools and helps reluctant readers and children with educational needs. Plus, he provides comfort to any child that may have gone through sad times or grief.

He also visits the children’s hospital and brings love and joy to both staff and patients. In fact, last year we got awarded a volunteer’s people’s medal for going above and beyond by supporting staff and patients during the pandemic. A lot of this was done via emails and videos because I got shielded.

Keegan makes me immensely proud and, by sharing his love, it makes me feel I am a worthwhile citizen again. He is simply the best friend ever!

Susan is so proud of the way Oscar takes care of her son

Oscar is fabulous. He's looks after my son, Jason, who has autism. When he knows Jason is unhappy, he’ll go and sit next to him until he cheers up.

Until he cheers up

My dog has such a fun personality and can be very cheeky. He enjoys having a sneaky nibble of the newspaper when he thinks no one is looking! He’s also a total water baby, and so his favourite pastime is undoubtedly swimming.

After rescuing Lola, Lisa loves her life with her gentle giant

Lola is a rescue dog who has been with us a little over a year ago. She came to us this fully grown dog who still had many many puppy tendencies. We rescued her just before she got to the rehoming centre.

She is this large oaf who doesn’t realise her size, thinking she’s a lap dog. Lola loves a cosy blanket, hates being cold, wet and hates when the wind blows her ears.

Life during lockdown would have been impossible without his companionship

We still have a long way to go with training but she has changed our lives so much. She’s like a wee companion for myself and we’re either playing in the garden together, going for fun walks or cosying in bed watching a movie together. Lola loves her comforts and believe it or not, she loves the vets.

When she jumps up her paws go on your shoulders and she gives you almost a human cuddle.

Kurtis is always there to keep Stephanie calm, taking her out and about for some fresh air and making her laugh with his dancing!

When I first found Kurtis, I was struggling through a very difficult time in my life. I was depressed and battling anxiety, which left me spiralling and unsure what to do.

Little Terrier with the biggest heart

My boyfriend and I had moved into our first home together, with a garden perfect for a small dog. Having grown up with dogs around me, it felt incomplete without one. After a lengthy search for the right breed and a rigorous adoption process, we drove the 11-hour round-trip to collect Kurtis from his former owners who no longer wanted him. We worked hard on his confidence, obedience and toilet training, and fell in love with his personality – a cheeky, lovely little Terrier with the biggest heart.

Kurtis kept me company on my long commute and became an amazing office dog. When my anxiety attacks come along, he sits on my lap and licks my face, so that I have to calm down and cuddle him. He gives me a reason to get out and about and get fresh air so that I don’t wallow.

Kurtis loves to cuddle on the sofa, but he also loves to dance. He will stand on his hind legs and tap dance for attention, and trot around with his oinky toy pig! He loves to sunbathe and will sit right on your head if it happens to be in a sunny spot. We take him on all of our adventures, and he checks out dog-friendly spots wherever we go!

Despite his poor health, Chino isn’t letting life get him down – and Michelle loves him all the more for it

Chino came into my life when I really needed him. He made life worth living. He's my shadow, always where I am. But he has cancer. So, he’s in the vet twice a week at the moment for blood tests and chemo.

He made life worth living

The vet says he is an amazing boy. He lets them do whatever they need to and still wags his tail and is pleased to see them. He's my brave boy. He still loves life and is having fun. He still shows his hatred of the postman. And I caught him sitting ON the dining room table last week – something he hasn't done since he was a puppy.

We're on borrowed time as we know remission is unlikely to last long once chemo finishes in April, but we are trying to make the most of our time together. I can't imagine life without him.

Rebecca had always dreamed of being a dog owner, and at 28 she finally got her wish when she and her partner adopted Hendrix – four months before their wedding!

I have dreamt of owning a dog since I was five years old. When I was a kid, I saved my pocket money and bought collars and leads dreaming of one day having a dog to put them on.

It wasn’t until I was 28 that I was finally ready to bring my first ever dog into my life. We were getting married in August 2019, and in March 2019 I saw an advert for Collie puppies. We were told we were mad to get a puppy four months before our wedding, but along came Hendrix in April. We used our honeymoon fund to buy him, so instead of a honeymoon we had a puppymoon!

Hendrix is a bundle of energy. He is a typical Collie – incredibly clever, always thinking ten steps ahead. For example, if we start getting ready to go out, he will know from our voices and movements whether he is coming with us or not. If he thinks he is, he will go and sit by the front door, but if he thinks he's not he will get up on the sofa and lay down. How he knows I will never understand!

Instead of a honeymoon we had a puppymoon!

We do trick training together and he is now an expert trick dog. We started because he had some hip issues so needed some extra mental stimulation, but we've carried on as he is an absolute natural and loves learning new things! It’s also had wonderful benefits on his mental health too. He is a very anxious lad and this has really built up his confidence.

He has completely and utterly changed our lives. I am disabled and used to lack motivation. I would sleep till gone noon and stay up all night. Now I am up by 8am every day with Hendrix. He wakes me up by licking my wrists every morning and then we start our day of adventures!

He gives me a sense of freedom that I never had before. He also makes us laugh so many times a day with his clumsy silliness. Hendrix is my absolute world and I love him so much!