Lavender always puts students at ease when she sits in on Lauren’s school therapy sessions

I am a therapist working in a secondary school. Lavender has been working alongside me for a year, providing emotional support (in the form of cuddles, companionship and licks) to the teenagers that I see. It has been amazing seeing how transformative her presence is. Therapy can be very intense and daunting, and having Lavender in the room can be a real comfort for those who are finding it difficult for any number of reasons.

She is incredibly intelligent

At home, we enjoy lots of lovely walks and playtime together, where she can relax and have fun. She is incredibly intelligent, and we love to learn new tricks. Lavender is very food motivated (typical Lab!) and loves to sit by me when I’m preparing dinner in the hopes that some carrot or courgette will find their way to her.

She is precious to me, and I couldn’t imagine life without her. She has had such a wonderful impact on so many people just by being her silly, loving and affectionate self.

Life isn’t easy for Otto or owner Sarah, but together they take on the world every single day

We got Otto when I was waiting for an operation on my eye. He gave me a reason to get up every morning. He was 10 weeks old and needed an urgent new home due to flooding and so we went and got him.

He is the best friend I could ask for

He is the best friend I could ask for. He hasn’t had the best start in life – bad breeding meant he was underweight, and we found out a few months ago that he has severe hip dysplasia and needed both his hips replacing. He had his first operation in August at 11 months old and next week will be going for his other hip replacement surgery.

Despite all of that he has been as good as gold and kept me going. I’m at high risk of Covid so have had to stay home since March and again he made it all bearable. He’s just lovely and after saving for his operations I would love to give him a treat.

Working from home can get lonely sometimes, but Brittany knows she’ll always have Indy to keep her company.

Indy is a huge part of my life, even though he's only been with us for four months! He's an important part of our family and I couldn't imagine life without him

This year, I’ve been working from home all day, while my partner still goes into his office. It can get lonely sometimes, but Indy is always there to put a smile on my face, whether that be by zooming around the house or playing tug of war with me!

Always there to put a smile on my face

Indy is very well trained. He’ll always sit on command and is often complimented for his politeness and charm (if he sees a woman walking towards him when we're out, he always sits for her!). He really is the best thing that’s has ever happened to us.

Max is an all-rounder – he helps teach children how to respect animals, he supports other dogs with their social skills, and he has even helped Jess hand-rear rescue kittens

Max has been renamed ‘Super Max’ by all the local children as he often goes into schools to meet them. We have a programme where we teach young children how to be safe around animals, and their favourite part is coming to stroke him at the end of the lesson.

Max is amazing with all the children and can walk into any environment calmly, making everyone feel instantly relaxed. A lot of children who were initially too scared to sit with the class during the first part of the session will build up confidence to come and say hello to him by the end.

He’s been renamed ‘Super Max’ by all the local children

He has also helped me hand-rear lots of rescue kittens over the years, and more recently a litter of wild baby rabbits. He loves the babies and will protect and clean them like they’re his own.

On top of everything, Max has helped a lot of other dogs build up their social skills. He is such a kind and calming influence. He always knows they’re nervous so he’s very patient with them.

Over the last five years, he has come out with me on all my training sessions as my wingman and he’s never put a foot wrong! He really is the bestest boy through and through.

Not only has Daisy made Ethel’s life better, but she’s now helping many more people in her local community

Daisy is a toy poodle, and a Dogs Trust girl. I adopted her in October 2020, when she was 11 months old. She hadn't had the best start in life, but since then, my shy little girl has blossomed into a beautiful, confident, intelligent little dog who just loves life.

Once she’d settled into her new life, we attended our local dog obedience classes and Daisy excelled herself, passing her beginners tests with ease. She was awarded her medal, rosette and a lovely crystal plaque for ‘Outstanding Achievement’ in December 2021. In the summer of 2022, she passed her outdoor training test, for which she also received a certificate. Daisy really enjoyed her classes and in December 2022, she passed her intermediate tests and again was awarded a medal and rosette.

Daisy was born to make people smile

One of Daisy's greatest loves is people, so we offered our services at a local adult day care centre, which caters for older folks who attend one or two days per week. They enjoy lunch and companionship in a lovely centre, which provides them with all sorts of entertainment. Most of the elderly visitors once had a pet in their lives but are now too frail to care for one.

They’ve really bonded with Daisy who’s very happy to visit, being the well-behaved young lady she is. She sits on their knees and enjoys cuddles. She was even invited to their Halloween and Christmas parties!

Sometimes the centre has entertainers and Daisy loves these events. At one of them, another day care centre had come along to enjoy the fun. And when they saw how much the elderly folks enjoyed petting Daisy, we were asked if we could visit their centre too. Daisy was born to make people smile, and she does exactly that with the members and staff at the centre.

Dougie is the dog that Carol has always wanted, and together, they have endless adventures and hours of fun

I’d wanted a puppy for as long as I could remember, but it was never the right time for me to get one. Then one day, Dougie the rescue dog bounded into my life, and the rest is history.

He was actually six years old when I first met him, but his playful nature made it feel as though he was a lot younger. He really is a dream, because I get to enjoy all the good parts about having an energetic dog, without the work of looking after a young puppy!

It’s been so lovely to watch how happy he’s become

Dougie was pretty stressed when we first brought him home, but he’s settled in well over time. He had never been taken out much before, and so we got to do a lot of ‘firsts’ with him. So far, we’ve taken him to the beach, the river, on holiday and even on a boat. It’s been so lovely to watch how happy he’s become.

His favourite place is by far the beach. He enjoys nothing more than rolling around in the sand, so much so that we’ve even got him his own sandpit to play in at home. He’s not so sure about water and tends to sit and bark at the sea – though I think he’s making progress, and I’m sure that soon he’ll want to splash around and go for a paddle.