After years of living as a stray in Cyprus, Zola has finally found her forever home with Annabel, and now she’s blossoming into the dog she was always meant to be

I adopted Zola, a German Shorthaired Pointer, on 2nd May this year. She was found as a stray in Cyprus, rescued and looked after in a shelter for about two months until she was well enough to travel to the UK.

She has settled really well in the time she has been here, and I have just started very basic training with her as she was completely untrained. She has definitely come out of her shy, anxious shell and is showing her cheeky, funny, very affectionate character. She is a puppy in a 9-year-old body as she's probably never enjoyed a puppyhood before.

Adopting a neglected, abandoned dog is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done

She loves anything fluffy, especially if she's not supposed to have it, like my slippers and the dog coats I’m knitting for rescue shelters, for example. She pokes her nose in any open drawer or cupboard and loves to grab and run – she is particularly drawn to silicone baking containers for some bizarre reason.

Zola is starting to bond with our other two adopted German Shorthaired Pointers, 9-year-old Baxter and 12-year-old Danny, who’s also a Cyprus rescue. She loves food, food and more food, playing with toys, stealing Danny's tennis balls and doing anything naughty.

She makes me laugh every day and drives me demented from running around saving items from being chewed, but gives me so much love in return. Adopting a neglected, abandoned dog and giving them a loving forever home is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done, and seeing them blossom into the dogs they should have always been is priceless.

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.

Looking after Molly hasn’t always been easy, but Nicola has nothing but unconditional love for her

Molly came into our life a year ago and changed it forever. My husband and I had been volunteering at a lovely dog rescue charity called SHAK, where Molly was a favourite. She had been living there for three years and had already had four homes before she came to us.

She is a Husky Akita cross who suffers from separation anxiety alongside reactivity to other dogs, so she isn’t the most easygoing dog in the world. That doesn’t stop her from being really caring and affectionate though, and she absolutely adores people.

She absolutely adores people

When she first came home, she found it quite difficult to adjust. My husband had to sleep downstairs with her every night because she was so anxious. But now, a year later, she is so much better. She still has her anxieties, but that’s what makes her who she is and we wouldn’t change her for the world.

Molly comes with us whenever we volunteer at SHAK to visit all of her old friends and spread some hope. We couldn’t love her anymore.

Sarah knows she can always rely on her loyal friend Rembrandt to keep her out of harm’s way

I'm disabled and suffer from sudden falls and vertigo. From a very early age, Rembrandt has been my constant companion. My partner is the one who walks him, trains him and plays boisterous games with him, but it's me Rembrandt sticks with like glue.

It’s me he sticks with like glue

On the occasions when I've had a fall, he’s sat with me until help has arrived and is super attentive, almost like he's making sure that I'm ok. Of course, like any Labrador puppy, he loves playing and enjoys a game of ‘splashy splashy’ in his paddling pool when it’s warm, as well as playing fetch with his older brother Peewee.

Rembrandt is such a character. He’ll devour anything that’s edible, and even some things that aren’t, including the sofa cushions and the skirting board! Both of his parents are search dogs, so when we can, we’ll enroll him into puppy school where he’ll learn to be a great sniffer dog.

Adele may not be Leo’s owner, but he has had a huge impact on her life – even helping her to recover from a recent hip operation

This is my grand-dog, Leo. My son and his partner own him, but we look after him frequently while they are at work. As soon as they got him, I instantly bonded with him. He’s a Shiba Inu, a very funny, quirky breed. This is very apt, as my eldest son lives and works in Japan.

When Leo sees you, it’s like you’re the only person in his life – his whole body wags and he smiles. He doesn’t bark, just woofs and makes a strange whining noise. He doesn’t like water at all, so he has to be carried over puddles and he always walks around large areas of water. He also loves to be brushed as he has lots of thick fur. Once you start, he just lays upside down, literally smiling.

I recently had my hip replaced. On the evening I came home, my son brought him round. He jumped on the bed and just lay at my side, looking up and smiling. He knew he couldn’t jump on me. I call him my therapy dog. He has helped no end in my recovery. I walk him with my husband on my sticks, and if I stop, he stops.

He's very stubborn, and if he doesn’t want to walk, he often has to be carried home. He’s definitely a magnet for affection. Everyone thinks we are walking a fox. He loves everyone and just wants to play with every dog he meets. Shibas are renowned for their lack of recall, but we’ve had no problems with Leo at all. He loves his ball, which has helped with that.

Leo is not a morning dog. He loves to sleep and comes to life later in the day. My son also has two cats who came first, so Leo had to adapt and often slept in their basket with them. He thinks they are dogs and tries to mouth them. One can tolerate it, but the other doesn’t. He knows his place! They often sleep side by side and it’s lovely to see.

I’ve never had dogs before, but I totally understand why people have them. He has brought so much happiness to our family. Such a lovely cuddly teddy bear.

He has brought so much happiness to our family

Kita has supported and protected Savannah in many different ways while she’s been living far away from her family

Kita is truly the best dog out there. She’s the happiest and friendliest dog. She’s never yet met a dog, person, or any other animal that she doesn’t love.

I live in the UK alone as all my family live in a different country, so having her has brought me so much joy and given me a purpose every single day. Not only that, I get so much exercise and am the healthiest I’ve ever been, all thanks to this cheeky girl.

I will forever be thankful to her

One of her fun quirks is that she doesn’t really run, she hops! When she’s excited or she’s found something fun like a stick or sock, she’ll grab it and hop around. And when she greets other dogs, she goes in paws first to hug their faces.

She’s also incredibly dramatic. She loves to yell if she doesn’t get her way and she yells at other dogs when they aren’t giving her enough attention. Her new favourite thing is pill bugs. She doesn’t want to eat them, she just used her paws to play with them.

The most special thing about her is that she saved me one time. Late one evening, we were walking alone in France due to travel delays, and some man was following us and trying to engage with me, despite my attempts to get him to leave. Although she was only eight months at the time, Kita took the hint and just barked her lungs out at him until he left us alone. He tried to return but she scared him off. I will forever be thankful to her for that evening. She really is the best.