Daniel has two rescue dogs, along with Beardy, a seven-year-old rescued bearded dragon he and his family took in five years ago.

Indeed, Beardy and Daniel’s son Porter enjoyed a star turn on CBeebies show Ferne and Rory’s Vet Tales three years ago, when the bunged-up bearded dragon endured a bout of constipation which required specialist treatment at Southfields.

He said: “We first adopted when we rehomed Trevor, who we took in after he was abandoned outside another vet practice I worked at some years ago. Sadly, Trevor was put to sleep last year but we hope he enjoyed a good life as part of our family.

“We now have Izzy, who was rescued after her previous owner didn’t want her. She was incredibly nervous to begin with but has settled in brilliantly.

“Finally, we have Beardy, a bearded dragon who we rescued in 2017. A member of the public placed a local advert saying they wanted to get rid of him as their kids were fed-up of looking after him. I had lizards as a child and my son has an intense fascination with animals – and dinosaurs. The perfect pet it seems!”

REHOMED TOGETHER

Meanwhile, Sarah adopted her cats Nana and Hachi from the RSPCA in December 2020.

She said: “Nana and Hachi had been in the shelter for most of the year due to lockdown and, prior to that, were rescued from a multi-cat home where Nana was found crated.

“During their time in the shelter they were kept separately but got stressed when alone, so were paired up.

“They got on so well they had to be rehomed together. They are incredibly bonded and spend most of their time together.

“I have always had rescue cats in my life and after becoming cat-less at the end of 2019, it was the natural time for me to look for new companions.

“I was keen to have a bonded pair and, as cats are usually solitary animals, it took some time to find them but it was worth the wait.

“They have gone from being nervous to boisterous people-lovers and it is great to know I have given them that opportunity.”