Everyone needs someone to remind them that life is full of little joys, and that’s exactly what Vali does for Julia.

My boy has had a hugely positive influence in my life. I’d already owned two dogs before I got him last November. I sadly lost one in January and getting Vali helped me to deal with my grief.

A hugely positive influence in my life

During these recent tough months, he’s been my reason to go out each day. I love photography and he’s inspired me to get back out into the world and pursue my passion, since he enjoys coming with me.

Vali is an amazing dog – he is very sweet-natured and a bit of a clown, so he keeps me smiling and laughing each day.

Working from home can get lonely sometimes, but Brittany knows she’ll always have Indy to keep her company.

Indy is a huge part of my life, even though he's only been with us for four months! He's an important part of our family and I couldn't imagine life without him

This year, I’ve been working from home all day, while my partner still goes into his office. It can get lonely sometimes, but Indy is always there to put a smile on my face, whether that be by zooming around the house or playing tug of war with me!

Always there to put a smile on my face

Indy is very well trained. He’ll always sit on command and is often complimented for his politeness and charm (if he sees a woman walking towards him when we're out, he always sits for her!). He really is the best thing that’s has ever happened to us.

Freddie loves to work and play, making him an all-round star in Charlotte’s eyes

This is my lovely boy, Freddie. He's a Labradoodle and I've had him since he was a puppy.

Freddie is a therapy dog and works mainly with further education students (16-25-year-olds). He has the best temperament you could hope for, and the students love seeing him! This week, he’s been very busy helping to calm those last-minute exam nerves.

He’s made an impact on so many people’s lives

When he's not working, he's just an amazing pet. He loves other animals and especially loves playing with other dogs (Labradors are his favourite). His guilty pleasure is finding something smelly to roll in and we frequently need a quick shower after a walk in the park!

He’s great company, so well behaved, and gets to go out on lots of nice day trips to visit dog-friendly places. He's made such an impact on so many people's lives – he really doesn't know how special he is!

With his lively personality, Cookie makes Gemma's family laugh and smile every day

Cookie has completely changed our lives for the better.

We welcomed him into our family in September as we have a son with some additional needs and a very anxious daughter. We felt that Cookie would be a positive addition to the family, but I never could’ve predicted how much of a difference he would make!

He’s made such a difference

My son who was dependent on his pushchair now walks everywhere and Cookie knows how to make us all smile and laugh on a daily basis. He is very cheeky, but you can’t help but forgive him, particularly when he’s constantly got a waggy tail!

Despite being an older dog, Bella has bounced back from her recent health scares to accompany Grace on her European adventures

We got Bella in January 2020, and she has been the best companion. She’s a rescue dog from Battersea so has come with a few challenges – luckily, she will do anything for a treat! Since we adopted Bella, she’s had a couple of health scares, including a bout of chest cancer and her cruciate went too. We aren’t sure how she managed to hurt her cruciate, considering she spends a lot of her time under a mountain of blankets on the sofa...

She’s added so much to our adventures

Luckily, she has bounced back from all of this to join us in our campervan for a tour of Europe. We’ve been away since April touring the continent, from Amsterdam to Bulgaria. Bella has mastered lots of modes of transport too. She’s been in cable cars, a blow-up kayak and a doggie rucksack when we’re on our bikes. She even joined us at the top of Jungfraujoch, which is the highest train station in Europe.

Bella has been such an angel the entire time and has added so much to our adventures. We even have personalised bandanas for each country so that we can keep track of where she has been! We couldn’t imagine a better dog to have in the van.

Red was suffering from various health problems when Gwen first took him in, but that never stopped him from being his lively, cheeky self

Red came to me from a friend whose son had rescued him. I was his fifth home when he was only six months old. He’s very friendly and energetic. However, he came with health issues. He had giardia parasites, campylobacter and round worm. He’d have an upset stomach about a dozen or more times a day.

He also had build-ups of energy, where he’d just run and run. It took a while, but I got him healthy. Then came recall training. We did that on long stretches of riverbank. I even recorded him running at 25mph down the road.

Red’s always been a Houdini-level escape artist

Red’s always been a Houdini-level escape artist, and he still takes himself off sometimes for some solo exercise, then comes home and waits in the front garden for someone to come and play ball. Whenever he's brought up the drive, he barks and heralds a new friend to play with. He’ll even go into my neighbour’s garden to scratch at her door, asking them to come and play.

Every day, he waits for the postie or anyone visiting and puts his ball through the gate to greet them. Even some people who’ve been frightened of dogs have been charmed by his playful antics. He's also good with small children and takes the ball to their feet to play. He's a happy, joyful, funny, intelligent boy.