Catherine and her family were told they wouldn’t ever be able to train Lola, but she went on to defy everyone’s expectations

Lola is the light in the family. She greets you with cuddles and barks when you walk in the door like you’ve not seen her for 10 years.

If you’re having a bad day, she cheers you up. She always knows when something’s wrong. And even when she’s been for a four-mile walk, the squeaky toys come out as soon as she gets home.

Lola is a rescue dog, and we were told we wouldn’t be able to train her or walk her off-lead. Now she always walks without a lead, sits at the curb before crossing and stops on the country lane when she hears a car.

She always knows when something’s wrong

Blade the adorable Bullmastiff always makes sure Evan and his fiancé are happy and safe

Blade came into our lives when he was just 17 weeks old. We chose a Bullmastiff because we knew they had a strong character and good temperament, and Blade did not disappoint. He fit right into our little family, offering us endless laughs and slobbery kisses!

Snores like a tractor and eats like a horse

Everyone that meets Blade falls head over heels for him. He has so many funny quirks, like sitting and staring at the security camera we have for our house. When he recognises someone on the screen, he gets so excited that he runs straight to the door so he can greet them with a little dance.

Blade snores like a tractor and eats like a horse, but I wouldn’t change him for the world. He’s so loving and loyal, and loves to shower us with his adorable affection. My husband-to-be suffers with a disorder called Cluster Headaches, which can be distressing for him. Blade is so intuitive, he knows when an attack is imminent and will put his head on my partner’s knee, sitting with him until he’s calmed down. Blade is our very own super hero.

By the time he was just three years old, Sonic had already had four different owners, but Rebecca and her husband were more than happy to become lucky number five

Sonic was a rescue dog. We adopted him in May 2019. We were told by the rescue centre that Sonic had a loving home as a puppy but, after the couple that owned him split up, he was left living on the streets.

He eventually went to a shelter and was adopted by a woman who gave him up after two months. He then was adopted by a family who gave him back after just a week. After that, he went to a foster home and, finally, he came to us.

My husband and I fell in love with him as soon as we saw his photo and read his story and, despite setting out to adopt a Labrador, we knew instantly that we needed Sonic in our lives. He was just three when he arrived, but we were his fifth home, so naturally it did take some time for him to settle in and trust us not to leave him again.

He still thinks he can sit on my knee as if he were a little chihuahua!

Sonic is a very sensitive boy. He was severely underweight when he came to us, but after lots of work he has gained some weight back. He still struggles with eating meals, but he does love tasty treats!

He follows us around the house and is only calm and content when he’s cuddled up on my lap. He’s a big boy, and he’s very boisterous and energetic, with zero awareness of how large he is. He still thinks he can sit on my knee as if he were a little Chihuahua!

He is very clumsy and cannot catch a treat in his mouth no matter how hard he tries. He loves being off the lead and runs for miles. He seems to have selective hearing when it comes to recall, but he always comes back eventually!

He is a million miles away from the calm Labrador that we originally set out to adopt, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our home is chaotic, but he fills our lives with so much love and we, in turn, adore him!

Petal might be small, and not as young as she used to be, but she’s still making the most out of her life with Emma

Petal is a 17-year-old mini Jack Russell, tiny even by Jack Russell standards. She's so petite that we think there may be some chihuahua in her.

She might be ancient, but she's still got it! Her gait is most accurately described as a sassy strut. She's still in the prime of her life as far as she's concerned. Being old hasn't diminished her joy for chasing squirrels in the park, or even her own tail.

Because she's so small, she has to make a jump over the back doorstep to come in from the garden. She always completes her jump with stylish aplomb, reminiscent of a show jumping horse.

She might be ancient, but she's still got it!

Her seniority has inevitably led to her having a few less teeth compared with when she was a youngster. This means she's particularly fond of her Winalot gravy satchets because she finds the food not only tasty, but also very easy to eat. She gets excited when she sees the sachets appear at dinnertime and, without fail, does her 'hurry up and feed me' bark whilst waiting for her bowl to be filled.

She lives with CC, an 11-year-old chocolate Labrador, and they are the best of friends. She likes snuggling up to CC for naps. But Petal is the boss, and she has no qualms reminding CC of this as and when required.

A few years ago, she was lucky enough to win first place in the Dog with Best Personality category at a local Fun Day Dog Contest. One of her prizes was a tennis ball and thrower but the ball was a bit too big for her. She had no problems passing it on to CC as a consolation prize. But she's far less generous when it comes to her sharing her dinner!

Petal may be small, but she has a huge personality that lights up any room. She is a cute little bundle of fun and love who brings a great deal of joy to all of us that have the good fortune to share our lives with her.

Abby started out as a sick stray puppy who feared almost everything, but Jane has fought to help her bounce back

Abby is a rescue dog from Spain who was very thin, had a digestive problem and didn’t know how to play with a ball. She was also terrified of most things, including umbrellas, lunchboxes and motorbikes.

A year on, we’ve not only got her health under control with a special diet, but she’s confident, happy and makes us laugh (when she’s not chewing my swimming costume).

She’s a wonderful addition to our life

Abby is very sociable and loves to play in the park, although she doesn’t always bring the ball back to us! The customers in our shop adore her, too, and she really cheered us up after the death of our previous dog. She has such a lovely nature and is a wonderful addition to our life.

Although it hasn’t always been easy, Emily adores Ruaridh and all the positivity he has brought into her life.

Little Ruaridh came into our lives only one month ago but the impact he has made has been substantial. Although extremely hard work, he has already made our little family happier and healthier in every way. From getting us up bright and early (5am!) to getting us out in the fresh air more – he really has improved our wellbeing.

He really has improved our wellbeing

He’s the greediest dog and the loves to explore the world through his mouth. The strangest thing he enjoyed eating was the binmen’s gloves after the binman tried to give him a cuddle.

As he grows, so do Ruaridh’s eyebrows and his long golden hair often glimmers in the sun. We love our little bundle of fluff and would love to spend some quality time away with him on his first holiday.