Ever since Molly joined the family, she’s been the best walking buddy Dona could ask for

My little Molly is my shadow. She follows me everywhere and likes to snuggle in on the sofa. I love walking and would walk alone as none of my family would come, but now Molly comes with me.

We go for a nine- or 10-mile walk around late morning and it's great having her by my side. I now know so many more people because of her. Before it would be a ‘hello’ in passing, but now we stop for chats. It’s great for my mental health as well, as I suffer from bad anxiety.

I now know so many more people because of her

Molly would do anything for food, and she’s absolutely ruled by her stomach. She knows when it’s time for meals and thumps her food bowl with her paw, until she gets what she wants.

When we got her, she was a very nervous little pup, and being attacked twice by other dogs hasn't helped. But she is so much better, even though she’s still a work in progress. Molly is the baby of the family, and we all love her and her little traits.

After Sam sadly lost his previous owner, Nicola made the decision to take him in and give him the best life possible

I met Sam the Sheltie when I was in care. His owner, a lady called Olive, had a terminal brain tumour. Sam was 12 then and Olive decided that she would give Sam to Dogs Trust for rehoming. When I heard this story, it broke my heart.

I promised I would give him the best life

Let me tell you a bit about the relationship between Olive and Sam. Olive never had children and always had dogs as her babies. Sam wouldn’t leave Olive’s side when she was ill. He knew something was wrong and he would always be at her feet. When Olive was unable to stand anymore and was confined to a bed, he would lay at the bottom of the bed with one paw touching her.

I just couldn’t bear Sam losing his mum, his everything, and then being locked in a cage, confused and scared. So, I made the decision to take Sam in and promised I would give him the best life. Here we are five years later, still loving a walk, and the other dogs always show us so much love.

As Lynn and her family settle into a new life, Winnie has been helping them socialise more

We adopted Winnie after she was rescued for crying at nine weeks old. She’s a very funny and outgoing dog who thinks she’s a celebrity and expects everyone who walks past her to acknowledge how pretty she is (or she will make a strange noise at them!). She also hates getting her feet wet and prefers to sleep under a duvet.

She has made a very positive difference in our lives

Winnie helped us to get out every day and meet other dog walkers and villagers, who have now become firm friends – and many of the elderly residents now carry dog biscuits in their pockets in case they see her. She has made a very positive difference in our lives and helped us settle into our new chapter in the North East, where we didn’t know anyone.

Susanne adores Playa for many reasons, but particularly for the way she looks out for Peanut the kitten

Playa was found with her siblings at the side of the road when she was just a few days old. The litter was fostered, and Playa was adopted but sadly returned after a while. I happened to meet her her at an adoption drive in a pet shop a few months later. I had only gone in to buy cat milk for our newly adopted kitten, Peanut, but I just knew as soon as I saw her that Playa was meant to be ours.

The two of them are inseparable

She immediately fit right into our busy household, along with our new kitten, Peanut, and two other cats. She loved Peanut from the moment she laid eyes on her, and to this day the two of them are inseparable and even sleep in the same bed. Peanut sees Playa as a toy and chase and bite her tail, but Playa just licks her back.

Playa loves everyone and everything. Our friend has a son who has autism, and he can be intimidated by dogs because of their unpredictable fast movements. But he has no fear of Playa, and loves sitting on the sofa and cuddling with her. Playa shows tremendous patience with all children and young dogs, and is always so gentle and calm around them.

Since she moved in with Ashlea’s family, Millie’s transformed from a fearful rescue dog to a happy, loving pooch

Millie is a rescue Golden Retriever who has been part of our family for just over a year now, alongside her sister Bella, who is a rescue tortoiseshell cat.

We live in the Forest of Dean so Millie’s absolute favourite thing is long hikes through the forest, where she can run after squirrels and wallow in every muddy puddle, pond and stream she can find.

Millie was a little nervous when we first got her, but now she’ll go up to any person she sees for fuss and cuddles. Unfortunately for her, some people are less keen for cuddles after she’s had a good mud roll.

Millie was previously kept in an outside run and had never been in a house before we brought her home, but she’s now fully adapted to a life of luxury, snoozing on the sofa or our bed! She’s a beautiful, gentle and sweet-souled girl. I may be biased, but to me, she is the dog of the year every year.

To me, she is the dog of the year every year

Jovie adores being cradled by her owner, Charlotte

Jovie is a rescue dog from Greece. We got her as a young pup at six months old and she’s been the greatest addition to our lives!

She adores children and can’t get enough cuddles from anyone who visits. Even though she’s a rescue, she’s the most laid back and affectionate dog and is completely unfazed by anything life has thrown at her. Jovie can even sense if you’re sad and will make you stroke her by pawing at your hand until you move.

She only gets grumpy is if I miss her snack

Her favourite place to be is in my arms, being held like a baby. She also loves to nuzzle into your neck (but she snores like a train, so I tend to lie her down next to me).

As the picture shows, she’s happiest when with me – her person. I work from home so she’s always with me. As long as I’m nearby, she’ll sleep with a smile on her face. In fact, the only time she gets grumpy is if I miss her 10:30 snack – no meeting is important enough that she should not have it, and our other dog Max helps her remind me, too!