Whether she’s comforting them or making them laugh, Luna has been a lifeline for Denise and her husband

We adopted Luna from a rescue centre soon after lockdown. She’s been my husband’s saviour as he suffered heart failure after contracting Covid and will never be fully well again, either physically or mentally. Luna seems to know when to give extra love and she sits with him to comfort him. She keeps me sane too, as I can get out for walks with her and chat to other dog owners.

She is such a sweetie and loves nothing better than rolling on her back wherever she fancies. This can be on the carpet indoors, outside in the sunshine, on the grass, on the beach or most recently in the snow. Sometimes she has a naughty day and will roll in mud, or worse!

She’s also really lazy and will easily sleep for 10-12 hours at night, which we don’t mind at all. Her latest thing is demanding a head massage by thrusting her head into my lap and then she closes her eyes in bliss!

Every day she amazes, astounds and brings us such joy, which is a bonus as she came with a list of behavioural issues that have all disappeared. She travels well and we’ve taken her 500 miles to Scotland on holiday where she loves the forests, beaches and the self-catering cottage we rent. We couldn’t hope for a better companion.

We couldn’t hope for a better companion

With Max around, Barry doesn’t get much peace and quiet – but he wouldn’t have it any other way

Max is my West Highland Terrier. He’s always making us laugh, especially when he tries to be at one with nature – he spends hours watching the birds in our birdbath, and loves playing with the squirrels in the garden.

He likes to keep me company on the charity walks that I take part in. Last year, my wife and I completed a 16-mile walk for the British Heart Foundation. We came home absolutely shattered, but energetic Max lay down for a grand total of 10 minutes, before running around like a sprinter again! This year, I’ve completed a 3.4 million step challenge for Diabetes UK, with my little mate Max by my side all the way.

Max gets excited by anything and everything

Max gets excited by anything and everything, which is a joy to see. The first time he visited the beach, he ran around and around in circles, to the point where my wife was crying with laughter! When he first saw snow he rolled over until he was soaked through – he just has so much energy and finds happiness in everything.

He makes us smile every day. One of the things he loves most is cuddling with his mum (my wife). He’ll jump up and paw at her until she gives in and lets him flop onto her lap. He gets jealous when we’re snuggled up without him, and will even wedge his way in-between us so as not to miss out!

Laurie’s dog Angus may be hard of hearing, but doesn’t stop him from living a happy life

Angus is our partially deaf Border Collie. We collected him when he was just eight weeks old, and now we couldn’t imagine our lives without him.

He does hear loud noises, which can sometimes startle him, and he responds to his name if you say it clearly enough. Mostly, he follows signs, even though we make a large amount of them up! It’s like we’ve developed our own language for him.

Without her, my life would be very bleak

Angus is a very clever dog, so he’ll always let us know when he wants something. I think we would all have struggled without him in the last year. He loves long walks in the countryside, which has been great for me. My dog is like my little shadow, and a treasured member of our family.

Jennifer looks forward to coming home every day because she knows Roky will be there to greet her

I can't help but smile when I see my buddy, Roky.There's something about coming home and opening the door to a burst of energy powering towards me that makes my heart sing and melts away all the negativity from my day.

Helps me to get out and connect with the world

Not only is Roky good for my soul, but he's good for my health too. He gives my life a structure and makes sure I never lack purpose. He helps me to get out and connect with the world around me.

He's such a beautiful dog that people often stop to ask me about him. Thisis both a blessing and a curse.I get to meet so many new people, but he'salso very protective of me, and that means he's not always as interested in those new people as they are in him.

Roky doesn't like little dogs who are cuter than him, or anyone dressed in bright colours. It makes putting his raincoat on a nightmare!

Baz is completely besotted with rescue dog TJ, who never ceases to melt the hearts of everyone he meets

TJ was originally bred for racing, but he never made the grade. He was then put up for adoption and spent five months with another family. However, he wasn’t a forever pet for them and was soon returned to the rescue centre.

We were fortunate enough to adopt TJ in June 2022 when he was just over two years old. We knew we had a lovely pet, but he had a wonderful surprise in store for us.

In January 2023, I broke my hip and spent over a week in hospital having a full replacement. When I was taken home and put in bed, he got up on the bed (without any prompting), cuddled up to me as close as he could and put his paw firmly across my chest. It was as if he was saying, “You’re mine to look after now!” – and he has done so ever since.

It was at this stage that his true personality came to the light. This positive behaviour was nurtured and he’s now my emotional support dog! He looks after both me and my wife.

TJ is calm, gentle and extremely loving

I’m disabled and have several illnesses, but TJ instinctively knows how to respond perfectly every time. The biggest surprise is that he hasn’t needed any training – he’s just a natural.

TJ is calm, gentle and extremely loving. When we’re out on walks, he’s always checking on either me or my wife to make sure we’re all fine. He also walks calmly alongside my mobility scooter (and also enjoys running alongside me when I turn the speed up on a deserted track).

Once, he found me on the floor in the bedroom. I’d dropped something on the floor, and it had rolled under the bed. In an unusual, agitated state, he ran to my wife to alert her that I was in trouble. It was a false alarm, of course, but he didn’t know that.

As well as providing physical care, he’s also a tremendous help for my depression. He gives me the confidence to socialise (he’s a great talking point), and I’m always thrilled to see other people making a fuss of him.

Although emotional support dogs are not yet given the same rights as other assistance dogs in the UK, I have permission to take him to my GP's surgery, dentist, three different hospitals, restaurants, cafés, a number of shops, pubs and museums. The reception is much the same everywhere we go – people love him! Patients in hospital waiting rooms particularly love seeing him there.

I don't think he realises just how special he is, as everything he does comes so naturally to him. It’s all part of his beautiful, enormous personality.

Luna has returned joy and exercise to the lives of Sasha and partner

We adopted Luna as a puppy from our local Dogs Trust in June 2021. She has completely changed our world for the better. My partner suffers with PTSD and having Luna in our lives has made the dark days bright. She gives us purpose, companionship, a reason to do more physical activity and of course, lots of laughter.

She’s made the dark days bright

Luna enjoys most things, but she especially loves swimming and playing football. On her walks she will always collect any plastic bottles she finds and carries them home to be put in the recycling bin.

She's so full of character and does a great job at an eye roll if you’re saying something uninteresting!