When Monkey isn’t competing in shows with Diana, he’s spreading cheer to those who need it most

Named after his love for climbing trees, Monkey enriches my life as well as the lives of many others.

The change he makes to my life is remarkable

We volunteer with Therapy Dogs Nationwide where he brings joy to people in a dementia home, school and prison – all of which are places where the comfort of a dog can brighten difficult days.

The change he makes to my own life is remarkable, too. He loves agility, so we compete in shows. I’m a pensioner but it provides me with a great social life as well as a reason to stay fit and active!

When Peter first brought him home, Ace was a little uncertain about life with his new family – but he soon settled right in.

We rescued Ace from a British-run dog home out in Cyprus. He was a street dog and had been found by a lovely Cypriot family, after being shot and left for dead by an unknown person. They took him to a vet who had to remove multiple pellets, and it was touch and go for a while. Luckily, he recovered well and they cared for him until he was fit and healthy. Then, they took him to the dog home so that he could find his forever family.

When Ace finally arrived in the UK, he was hungry, tired and scared after his long journey, but bribing him with some cooked chicken helped me to win him over! I brought him home and in the morning he met our two young children for the first time – and he was terrified. It took him a few days to venture out of his dog crate.

He now adores the children and his new home

After a month of being loved and treated like the prince that he is, Ace became braver and started going on walks with my wife and I when the kids were in bed. Almost two years on and he now adores the children and his new home with our family. We take him on lots of walks around the village, as well as further afield. He is a very loving and devoted dog, who likes nothing more than to snuggle on the sofa where he falls asleep instantly, snoring like a freight train!

He was named Ace by our eldest, who’s a six-year-old superhero fan. Apparently, in the original comics, Batman had a rescue dog named Ace! A perfect name for our perfect dog.

When Pixie’s previous owners put her up for adoption, it was love at first sight for Janice and her husband

We found Pixie from an advert on Facebook. Her owners were looking for someone to take her as they had a new baby. When my husband phoned, they said he’d be in a queue with 12 others, but we could go and meet her. As soon as we walked in, we fell in love with her. We also understood why they wanted to rehome her, as the baby wouldn't leave Pixie alone and kept pulling her ears and tail. They also already had another massive dog and two cats.

At the end of our meeting, they said they wanted us to have her. After making sure our home was suitable, they told us they needed to have her spayed as they didn't want her used for puppy money. We agreed, so they let us have her over the weekend to see what she was like with us. She was brilliant and made no mess at all.

As soon as we walked in, we fell in love with her

After her operation, they kept her at their house to keep an eye on her. I was so worried that we wouldn't have her back, but after two days they said we could go and pick her up. She had a neck shield on, but she was okay, and we brought her home.

She settled in brilliantly, but did come with some issues. She doesn’t eat her food straight away, and if we give her a treat, she goes under the table to eat it. She had a dog crate in her last home, so I think she spent a lot of time in there to escape from their other dog. But now she comes everywhere with us, and we don't leave her on her own for one minute. She’s so loving and gentle and I wouldn't be without her.

With Heather’s help, Benji has transformed from a poorly, neglected pup into a loving, healthy pooch

Benji is a Fox Red Labrador, who arrived with us in lockdown 2020. He was only 10 months old, and he’d spent a lot of that time locked up in a puppy crate with owners who didn’t have a garden or any time for him. He was an impulse buy they regretted, and they didn’t know how to look after him.

As a result, he chewed everything he could to relieve the boredom and anxiety. He suffered from gut problems and conjunctivitis, and he was generally an unhappy boy. After a bit of settling in and some training, he’s now nearly four years old and he’s a wonderful, happy, inquisitive, loving dog.

He keeps me company when I’m working and lets me know when I’ve been sitting too long and it’s time for a walk. He's also trained me to fetch his ball when he chucks it from the top of the stairs so I can throw it back. Unfortunately, he thinks other items can also be chucked, such as the odd bone, which has a harder landing on the tiled floor!

He adores swimming and has been known to become immovable and scream loudly in a tantrum when asked to leave a lovely beach. If you ask him what good boys do, he’ll immediately sit down on the floor, waiting for a tasty reward.

He’s a wonderful, happy, inquisitive, loving boy

He gives me dog kisses (with no licking) to show he’s my buddy, and belly rubs are obligatory before breakfast. He’s got me walking, enjoying the outdoors, making new dog owner friends, and generally loving my life more because he’s in it.

Archie loves taking his owner Phoebe (and his duck toy) on new adventures.

Archie went into the RSPCA at just three months old after his owner had abused and neglected him. He had broken his back leg, which was left to heal naturally, so he now has one leg slightly shorter than the rest, but he’s still a happy boy!

When we met him, we fell in love with him instantly

When we met him, we fell in love with him instantly and couldn't wait to bring him home. He’s incredibly intelligent and will run for hours, so he’s a handful but a very fun one at that! We spend a lot of time hiding treats, playing puzzle games and finding new exciting walks for him to run and sniff to his heart’s desire! He’s such a loving dog considering his difficult start in life – he loves people and other dogs. His favourite things in life are his duck toy, his bone, laying out in the sun and exploring new places.

We’re not sure if he’s ever been to the coast and I just know he would love it! Anything new is so exciting for him, so we’d love the opportunity to take him away for a mini break and experience beach walks. Holidays have changed for us and we’re excited to explore more of the UK with Archie in tow instead of travelling abroad.

Aprille, her husband and their dog Ella love exploring the British countryside together

Ella came into our lives when our friends decided to breed their Labrador Sam. We love mountain climbing and long walks in the Suffolk countryside, and they convinced us that we needed a dog to share those experiences with.

Ella’s favourite place to walk is the Lake District

They were certainly right. Ella’s favourite place to walk is the Lake District,and we’ve been fortunate enough to spend many hours hiking the Cumbrian Mountains. She loves collecting rocks and sticks to carry on her adventures, even if they’re half the size of her! We think she must be part-seal, because she’s so dedicated, she often dives underwater to seek out her treasures

She has been our best friend during this troublesome year, and we never go far without her. Ella has even given us the inspiration to write blogs about our walks and take pictures of the many glorious sunsets we catch along the way. It will be a lovely way for us to look back on our adventurestogether.