Simba came into Deirdre and her husband’s life at one of their lowest moments, but over time he’s helped them heal

Simba came to us as a 14-week-old puppy. We’d recently lost our first cockapoo, Ellie, to hypothermia at 17 months, after she fell in a river in a freak accident while chasing a bird. We were devastated, and coming home to just an empty cage and her favourite toy was horrible.

I knew that I had to do something, so when I saw the advert for Simba, I made an enquiry. We went to see him that evening and we brought him home the very next day. Simba has helped us come to terms with our loss – he makes us laugh, he makes us cry, he exasperates us beyond measure, but he is always there for us when we are sad or upset.

Simba has helped us come to terms with our loss

Simba will never replace Ellie, who’ll always have a piece of our hearts, but he’s so loving and very much a mummy’s boy. He’s my shadow, following me everywhere and crying if I leave the room. He also steals things he shouldn’t, like underwear, socks or anything else he knows belongs to us and is out of bounds – even my mobile phone! I think I’m on phone case number six because he likes to chew them.

Simba's my life. He doesn’t have a nasty bone in his body and would defend his pack (my husband, myself and our best friend) to the ends of the earth to stop us getting hurt. He’s a very special dog, and I’m so glad that I found him at one of the worst times in my life. He’s my rock and I love him beyond words.

Ellie and Cher have been supporting each other in equal measure since the 2020 lockdown

Cher has been a massive influence in my life. I adopted her from Romania in the first national lockdown in May 2020. Although it took a lot of patience for her to become completely comfortable with me, the bond we have now is incredible.

She provides comfort to anyone who needs it

Whenever she's frightened, she seeks me for comfort, and whenever I feel ill or low, she is there ready to cuddle up to me. She has also proven that she is a brilliant therapy dog as she provides comfort to anyone who needs it. I have truly been blessed with such a caring dog.

Even though she is so good, she does have her cheeky quirks like sneakily calculating ways to pinch food off the table when she thinks you’re not looking, or acting cute in front of my grandad who has dementia to get as many treats as she can.

With Mary’s help, Basil has gone from a scared rescue pup to a happily settled pooch who’s full of mischief

I had been thinking about fostering a dog for some time and thought that a rescue was the way to go, as the rescue centres were absolutely full to the hilt with dogs in need of loving homes. At the time, l was suffering from depression and thought looking after a dog would be a motivation to get up in the mornings.

I saw on social media that there was a puppy in Bosnia that a rescue centre was looking to bring to the UK, and l made an application to foster him. I was successful and Basil came into my life on 24 March 2022, aged just eight months old.

I've never regretted adopting him, even if none of my slippers, socks and shoes are safe!

At first, it was difficult – he was scared of every household appliance, he didn't want to be indoors (day or night), he would not sleep at all, and he didn't know how to play. However, after a couple of weeks, he settled down and his friendly, cheeky, mischievous and inquisitive side began to shine through.

After fostering Basil for a month, l decided to adopt him – how could I ever let this beautiful soul go? I've never regretted my decision, even if none of my slippers, socks and shoes are safe from him! He is addicted to tummy tickles and loves to boop me on the nose to tell me he loves me.

Poor Basil has just had a double operation, so he is slowly recovering and getting lots of rest, TLC and treats (it is costing me a fortune in chicken). We are planning lots of long walks and maybe a trip to the seaside when he is well enough to travel. There are so many adventures to look forward to, and we will no doubt enjoy them together.

Yvonne was at a low point, but the moment Whiskey Sox bounded into her life, things changed for the better.

I was off work after being diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression and had been thinking about getting a dog for a while. We decided it would provide me with a focus, and since I would be at home, I’d have the time to help with the house training.

My husband, sister in law and I went to the breeders. She had a room of six-week-old puppies. As we talked, her 'house' dogs and a three-month-old pup wandered into the room. She was the runt of the previous litter, and the breeder had kept her back to build her up, but the arrival of the new puppies meant no one wanted her. Well, I did!

You couldn’t get a playing card between us

We took her home and named her Whiskey. From the very first day she was 'my' dog. She slept next to me, snuggled with me on the sofa (you couldn't get a playing card between us) and followed me everywhere.

I have since returned to work, but she is still my security blanket, my treasure and my dog. When I’m at work she stays with my husband, but I’m still her favourite. In a household of men, we stick together!

After losing one of their dogs a few years ago, Sally and her family have been treasuring every moment with Lily

Lily is the most loyal, faithful Labrador. We’ve had her since she was a pup, along with our Labradoodle Ozzy, who we lost to cancer in April 2020. Lily adored Ozzy and we were afraid she would pine. But thankfully her personality has shone through. She’s very greedy and has emptied bins and hoovered up the flour that we put out to discourage ants.

I can’t bear to think what life would be like without her

She’s struggled with walking long distances lately, so we bought her a large dog buggy for longer trips. She wasn’t keen at first, but now she loves it and prefers riding to walking. She sits just like a princess, enjoying the journeys. She’s never slept on the sofa before, but ever since we’ve had our son and his dog staying with us, she enjoys jumping on the sofa each night after we've gone to bed.

She was also named after the Queen (Lilibet), as she was due to be born on the Queen's birthday. I can’t bear to think what life would be like without our truly adorable Lily, who everyone loves. And she loves them too, especially if they have a treat in their pocket.

Lily is a bit of a character, but Jacquie wouldn’t have it any other way

Lily is my everyday hero, and she has been ever since my husband John and I got her as a rescue 10 years ago from Border Terrier Welfare.

She’s slowed down a bit now, but still loves life – walking regularly each morning, scrounging as many treats as she can and chasing away cats from the garden.

She loves visitors and welcomes them with licks

When we got her, only three weeks had passed since we lost our old Border Terrier. We were so distraught, but her unconditional love soon melted our hearts.

At first, Lily was a bit of a mischief. She used to love destroying toys! We even had to get an outside letterbox, because she’d grab any letters through the post-box, run off with them and then destroy them if given half the chance.

She loves visitors and welcomes them with licks as kisses. She’s made lots of friends over the years and has won photo competitions, too. I could go on forever!