5 ways our dogs become part of the family

They help care for our kids

“Our Labradoodle, Bailey, has been the best third parent,” says erikafrancis19. “When my daughter started crawling, she once made it halfway up the stairs without me knowing. I found Bailey right behind her, touching her to make sure she didn’t fall back and staring at me as if to say, ‘Are you going to do something about this?!’ She’s our dream dog and our family wouldn’t be the same without her!”

“When we brought home our eldest daughter, Mya, who’s now 7, our little Jack Russell, Suzie, never left her side for the first few weeks,” writes MrsRogers416. “She always lay below her cot, or beside us if we were holding Mya. We thought Suzie’s nose would be out of joint as she had always been our baby, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. She loved her little sister from the get-go.”

They know how to embarrass us

“One time, our next-door neighbour had put their shopping bags down to unlock their front door,” explains katylouiseburns, “and our German Shepherd, Leo, proceeded to steal a whole chicken from the bag and run off with it. I was chasing him around the house for about 15 minutes trying to get it back, and by the time I did, it wasn’t in any condition to be consumed by humans. Luckily, our neighbours found it hilarious. We did buy them another one, but I was still so embarrassed!”

AEA writes: “When I was a teenager, my parents were entertaining our vicar when our dog, Fred, strolled through the lounge with each eye staring through the leg holes of a pair of my knickers. He’d been rooting through the clean laundry waiting to be put away. I was mortified!”

They’re always looking out for us

“Before we knew I was pregnant, our softie of a dog suddenly started being really territorial and protective over me,” says Surrey3. “Usually, he loves to run off and play when we're out, but he started sticking by my side at all times. He would follow me around the house and always squeezed himself between my partner and I on the sofa. When we found out about my pregnancy, I googled it and it turns out sometimes animals sense it before humans are aware. My protective little guard.”

They might try to pinch our food

“We once took our two rescue dogs to spend Christmas at my future parents-in-law's house,” writes Graeme Graeme. “On Christmas Day, while one of them was playing with her new toys (clearly a distraction tactic), the other one had slinked off into the kitchen. We found her just in time, with a turkey leg in her mouth, trying to drag the whole bird onto the floor. Presumably, she wanted to start her Christmas dinner early.”

“Our rescue dog, Eric, is very food motivated,” says lucyjoysturgess. “He's not to be trusted off lead when there are picnics about. And my small daughter is often found carrying her snacks high above her head while walking around the house, as she's so used to him pinching them!”

They know when we need a little extra love

“Our Border Terrier Tilly loves to play rough and tumble with my husband,” says mynellie. “But when he was going through chemo, it was like she knew he wasn't well and just used to sit at his feet, leaning on his legs like she was trying to comfort him. Once the treatment had finished and he was getting better, she went back to playing with him again.”

“Our Westie is my mum’s best friend,” explains cj261963. “He follows her around like a shadow, and won’t leave her side, no matter what. When my gran passed away, my mum was extremely upset and he stared at her with a little head tilt, then started crying with her. He was nuzzling her face, licking and cuddling her. It was the sweetest thing I’ve seen and shows how special the bond between a dog and owner can be.”

Share your dog’s story on the Great British Dogs website for the chance to win an exciting pooch-themed prize, worth up to £2,000!