Now her racing days are over, Maggie is enjoying her life as a therapy dog and a beloved member of Richard’s family

Maggie made our lives complete when we adopted her from Greyhound Trust West Wales. She’s an ex-racer and was very timid and nervous of men at first. She’s settled with us really well, and now works as a therapy hound for Greyhound Rescue Wales. She visits students in colleges and universities in South Wales, where she enjoys lots of attention and treats.

We strive to give her the loving family life she so deserves

She’s very aloof and a bit of a diva. But she’s absolutely gorgeous, and always turns heads in the pub – which she loves visiting! She also loves going for walks and then crashing out on our comfy sofa or bed until it’s her mealtime.

Maggie’s very partial to chicken and cooked broccoli and, of course, the occasional treat. We like to think that Maggie has fully adopted us too, and we strive to give her the loving family life she so deserves.

Freya has so many funny stories to share about the gorgeous and utterly hilarious Luna

Luna is my beautiful 5-year-old black Labrador, and she’s the calmest and most loving best friend you could ever imagine.

She sleeps at the foot of my bed every single night, obviously under a blanket, and slowly migrates her way up the bed throughout the night, until she's sharing my blankets and pillows and snoring loudly in my ear! She gets up at 6am every single day to jump between my parents, where she lies asleep on her back for tummy tickles until they get up.

Her best friend is her little "sister" Maia, our nearly 3-year-old black Labrador. She's very stuck in her routine and enjoys a quiet life. She loves walking at the local nature reserve where she can run and swim to her heart's content, and she spends most of the day asleep on one of our beds (her MANY beds are never as comfortable as ours are!).

She's definitely my spirit animal and knows what's up!

Every day at 6pm on the dot, she finds one of us and won't leave our side until she's been fed. When she hears the Life360 notification that indicates my dad's return from work, she runs to the door until she sees his car pulling into the driveway, where she proceeds to bark loudly to tell us to open the door for her to go and greet him. After that, it's back to bed until her nightly walk around the village – the absolute highlight of her day.

One of her (very many) little quirks is that she hates being dirty. After walks in the rain, she follows us until one of us washes her feet, she won't sleep in a bed until it has a clean blanket in it, and her favourite place to lie is in one of our beds after we've changed the sheets. She's definitely my spirit animal and knows what's up!

When she's not on the bed, Luna can be found snuggling on the sofa between Maia and her feisty (and rather grumpy) feline brother, Felix, probably on the one small section of the sofa not covered in a dog blanket! Her favourite place in the world is the beach, especially those in Scotland, so we take the dogs on an annual trip to explore the beautiful beaches of the west coast. Upon seeing the sand, she gets the zoomies and will run around in pure joy until she reaches the sea!

Life hasn’t been easy for Abbie, but since Obi came along, he’s made every day feel that little bit brighter

I have a chronic illness, so I suffer daily with chronic pain and fatigue. For a long time, I was depressed and really not enjoying life. But then I got Obi...

He’s the absolute light of my life. My rock. My therapist. My best friend. I couldn't be without him. I knew getting a crazy Border Collie was going to be a challenge alongside living with a chronic illness, but he's been the best decision I've ever made. He gives me purpose. He gives me a reason to get out of bed on a morning. The minute I see his little face waiting for me downstairs, I feel a little less tired and a little less sore.

He gives me a reason to get out of bed on a morning

He's helped me meet so many lovely people in the village where we live, some who have become great friends. I love our long walks through the countryside, our trips to the beach (followed by ice cream, of course) and snuggling on the sofa when the weather isn't so great.

I love his craziness, his will to live, the way he shakes his butt when he gets scratches. His long tongue that he can't keep in his mouth, his cheeky smile, his one-up one-down ears, his beautiful eyes. His 'taps' when you're eating something that he really wants, the way he bounces up and down waiting for me to throw his ball, his wrestling sessions with his best friend Yoshi, his obsession with water and mud (usually the two mixed together), the way he sits and laps up the attention when the village kids come to give him cuddles. I love all of this and more.

He's my gentle giant. Always along for the ride – the highs and the lows. He makes me laugh, brings me joy, teaches me how to live freely and love unconditionally. I don't own him, he owns me.

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.

Michelle’s dog Bix may have been an unexpected addition to the family, but now he’s what makes their house a home

We met Bix in the summer of 2019. As we’d recently lost our beloved dog Hamish, we were too upset to consider adopting another. But, on a trip to the Dog’s Trust to donate some of our items, we saw Bix and fell in love straight away – it was meant to be, and 9 days later he became an official part of our family.

At first he was very timid around us, but now his cheeky character has started to shine through and he is an absolute joy to be around. His funny antics make us laugh every day, and he really does have a beautiful personality.

His cheeky character has started to shine

He loves nothing more than being at home, and upon return to the house will immediately start rolling or running around out of sheer excitement. We tried to tell him he wasn’t allowed to sit on the furniture, but he didn’t listen, and always manages to relax on the sofa and watch TV with us in the evening. He even demands his own pillow to lie on!

Recently, we’ve been video calling my parents every day. Bix insists he makes an appearance on each time, so as soon as he hears their voices he’ll dash into the room and jump in front of the phone screen to say hello.

Sarah’s family adores Jeffrey – a small dog that’s made a big impact!

Jeffrey, our beloved Miniature Schnauzer, became part of our family as a companion to our teenage son.

At the time, our son was lonely and missing his siblings (who being eight years older had already left home). He was also sad after being bullied for several months at school.

Our son took great joy in training Jeffrey to do all sorts of tricks, as well as taking care of him and taking him for walks. Jeffrey was his loyal companion, waiting at the foot of the stairs by the front door all day when he left for school and squealing and leaping with delight when he returned home. This built our son’s confidence and helped him to make new friends.

He loves nothing more than everyone coming home

Our son has left home now, and since he can’t keep a dog in rental accommodation, Jeffrey is looked after by us parents. He follows me around, takes us for a walk every day and when our son returns, he’s beside himself with joy! He’s loyal to the whole family and loves nothing more than everyone coming home.

Jeffrey keeps us active and his favourite place to go for a walk is the beach near where we live. He also loves walks in the forest, parks and the local area, and he enjoys saying hello to everyone! He used to play fetch with a ball, but since he’s lost most of his teeth, he can only do that with very soft toys now. He’s extremely friendly and has a great personality. He’s curious, inquisitive, adventurous and enjoys a good cuddle with a tummy and neck rub!

Family life is complete with Jeffrey.