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.

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.

Ellie adores Enzo for all of his quirks and his hilarious personality

Enzo is a very chilled dog. Every time he sits down, he likes to cross his paws, which I think makes him look very posh! And, instead of blinking normally, he winks at us instead. He just sits there with his paws crossed, winking at us – it’s hilarious! He also loves his bow tie, which we bought because we felt like it suited his funny personality.

He also loves his bow tie

Bramble was mistreated as a pup, but Vivienne’s family have given her as much love and care as possible since rescuing her

When we fostered Bramble 11 years ago, she was very frightened and shut down from her treatment at a puppy farm. She wouldn’t walk past me if I had boots on and would drop her head if you tried to pet her.

She’s so precious to us

I couldn’t get her to sit with me for months, so I arranged some cuddle time for a few days, and she eventually found her way back for more. And getting a kiss from her is rare, but she enjoys receiving them.

She’s so precious to us. It’s clear that Bramble has learned a lot from the way she’s now being treated, but we’ve learnt so much more from the love she gives back.

Cooper may keep Louisa and her family on their toes, but it’s impossible to get mad at him

Cooper came into our lives in December 2019. He is the most laid-back but equally energetic dog I've ever met. A lot of Cooper's development time was spent during lockdown, which was wonderful. He was my little working companion – he would sit on my knee and nap, and now, even though he's almost fully grown, he still does the same! He is a pleasure. He helps to wake up my two young sons every morning. I say: "Go and get the boys", and he runs upstairs and licks them until they get up!

He makes us all smile, every single day

One day, we were practicing recall while on a walk with Cooper. It was going great until he spotted a squirrel and did a complete U-turn and chased after it! Off into the bushes he went. They lead into the woods, so we were all shouting him back, but he didn't come back. The kids were distraught. I retraced the whole of our walk, shouting for him, asking passers-by if they’d seen him. No joy. I headed back to the field and told the kids to go home and wait on the step. I carried on the search, as did my husband, and were both becoming increasingly worried.

My husband called me 30 minutes later. I'd still not found him, nor had he. We both carried on searching, but it was getting dark. Another 20 minutes later my husband called saying, "He's home, he's with the boys". Cooper had come tottering back home, covered in all kinds, with a look on his face as if to say, "Where did you go?". We were over-joyed. We couldn't even be mad at him because of this look he had on his face. He makes us all smile, every single day.

Bowie has a huge heart and a kind soul, and the effect he’s had on Carina’s life is nothing short of transformative.

Bowie is a ‘Huskador’ – his mum was a Siberian Husky and his dad was a chocolate Labrador. Bowie has chocolate fur with a Husky tail and ruff around his neck and chest. He also has one brown eye and one blue eye!

I got him after my daughter took her puppy, who had been living with me, back to live with her after the first lockdown. There was a huge empty space in our lives, which Bowie has filled for us all.

Has even learned to kiss on command

He has quite the fan club going in the village where we live. It’s not surprising, given he has so many adorable traits – like when he barks and it sounds like he’s shouting 'Hello' at us and our cat! He’s got such a gentle nature that he never barks at other dogs, doesn't chase cats and has even learned to kiss on command.

I’ve had two spinal surgeries, and this in addition to lockdown meant I stopped going on walks. Since Bowie is always keen to go out and explore, he’s succeeded in getting me out for walks up to three times a day!