Life hasn’t always been easy for Shauna, but luckily every day has been a little bit sunnier since Mango came along

I have severe endometriosis and fibromyalgia and had to have a full hysterectomy three years ago at age 32. I have no children and unfortunately will be unable to have any now. My mental health suffered as a result of this and other ongoing chronic illnesses, so in July 2021, I adopted Mango from Romania using a charity called EuroPaws.

I saw one photo of her prior to her arriving from Romania, and I went to collect her at 4am, straight from the van she’d just spend four days travelling in. Out came the most beautiful girl, and as soon as I had her in my arms, I fell madly in love with her. From that day ‘til now, 13 months later, I can honestly say every day has been better because of her.

Every day has been better because of her

She has such a wonderful personality and has bonded with me so completely that people comment on it regularly. She is my best friend and my reason to get up in the morning. She sleeps in the funniest positions, gets beyond excited when she sees her doggy friends, talks to me in grumble noises when it’s time for us to go to bed and LOVES a walking adventure.

She goes everywhere with me. We love to explore all over Scotland, and she adores lying in her bed in the passenger seat of the car while I drive. She’s the laziest dog in the mornings and has been known to not go for a pee until 5pm because she’s too lazy to walk down the stairs. She also has huge ears to match her huge personality and everyone who meets her falls in love with her.

I truly feel she was meant to be mine and we’re so perfectly suited to each other. She really is my child replacement, and I wouldn’t be without her now. She’s my happy place!

Chloe went to the pub one night and came home with a dog – all because she couldn’t stand watching Bailey suffer at the hands of her former owner

I met Bailey in the local pub when she was brought in by her previous owner. She was a five-month-old purebred Labrador, but she looked about 12 weeks old. She was skin and bone and she looked exhausted. I offered her some chips from my plate and a drink of my water, but her owner told me not to feed her. He said she’d had her weekly feed as she poops in the house otherwise.

She has made me a dog person

Bailey kept coming back to me while we were in the pub. I think she saw me as her safety net. The owner kept grabbing her by her scruff and dragging her back to him, but she kept wanting to cuddle up to me.

I offered to buy her from him as he had mentioned he works 12-hour days and leaves her all day. I bought her then and there, and she came home with me that evening. She’s been mine ever since and she’s made mine and my partner’s lives wonderful.

She’s got such a wicked personality in comparison to the exhausted, malnourished puppy we met in the pub. She’s insanely clever and LOVES eating squares of cheese! She has made me a dog person and I would never be without her. I’m so thankful I went for a drink that night.

Iggy’s love of fun and games makes every day a joy for Thomas’s family

Iggy is a Beagle cross who loves other dogs but can be a little shy with new people. She’s a typical beagle, mischievous and noisy – if you talk to Iggy she talks back. Her favourite pastimes are sniffing, digging, zoomies, playing ball, smothering her cat brother with kisses and stealing anything that will fit in her mouth and running away as fast as she can.

Iggy adores her family and squeals with joy whenever any of us come home, even if we’ve only been gone for five minutes. She can’t just wag her tail, she wags with her whole body. Iggy is very goofy, playful and always on the go, but she also appreciates a good nap with her blanket. It’s amazing how she can go from flat out galloping to fast asleep in the blink of an eye.

Iggy is the baby of our family and her big doughy puppy dog eyes and huge floppy ears make it impossible to be annoyed with her even when she’s being cheeky. To us Iggy is perfect and we love her very much flaws and all.

She can’t just wag her tail, she wags with her whole body

Samantha knew that Winnie the rescue dog would be a perfect addition to her family

We got Winnie as a companion for our autistic son. She was due to come home to us the week of the first lock down, and sadly the process ended up being delayed. We felt so sorry for her as it meant had to stay at the shelter for a little while longer. But, we kept our hopes up and as soon as the restrictions eased, we were told we could come and collect her.

We’re always here to protect her

At first, she was extremely shy and wouldn’t come near us, but we gave her space and over time she stared to realise just how much we love her. We’ve had to build up her confidence bit by bit and show her the joys of the big wide world – but also reassure her that we’re always here to protect her.

Winnie is now a loved member of our family, and is not only a true friend to our son Jake, but also a pal to our other pets. Jake loves her so much, and she’s been a huge help to him throughout these uncertain times.

Paula didn’t give up on Denzil, and because of that he found the strength to survive. Now he’s helping other dogs do the same.

Denzil is a Morkie and we bought him from a registered kennel in Wales. His story is very special as he is the only dog to survive severe GME (Meningitis). He has had a research paper done on him by Liverpool University, veterinary hospital.

Problems started just after his first booster at our vets. We thought he was just having a reaction to his injections, then a few days after finishing his medication, he collapsed in our garden! We took him to our vet straight away and luckily one of the vets was from Germany and said that she thought it could be meningitis. They referred us to Liverpool university Wraith animal hospital.

His story is very special

What ensued was 18 months of IV treatment, 32 tablets a day and five 10-hour chemotherapy sessions. I researched the best foods to give him, and I also used aromatherapy massage to help ease the muscles in his spine and he started to respond. Finally, at nearly 3 years old he was given the all clear! Denzil now has his own Facebook page to raise awareness of this terrible disease and to encourage vets to refer immediately.

Cleaning just got a whole lot easier now that Lucie has Bruno in her life!

Bruno was a rescue dog from a family who couldn't give him the love and time he needed. He was born with only one eye – he doesn't let that hold him back though, and he can run as fast as any other dog. He's wary of strangers and new environments, but once he gains your trust, he's the sweetest, most lovable dog I know.

He loves to play games like hide-and-seek and chase. And he loves to learn new tricks, too. He loves to crunch on all fruits and vegetables. As soon as hears the vegetable drawer in the fridge open, he dashes to get a treat!

He's the sweetest, most lovable dog I know

The most amazing thing about him is that if you spill or drop something edible in the kitchen, you just need to shout "clean up team". No matter where he is in the house or garden, he will come dashing in to find you and will lick it up immediately. If he can't see it straight away, just point and he will find it.

He is the most amazing dog I have ever met and my family and I would be lost without him.