Adopting preloved dogs can add a wonderful dimension to your life. We adopted our first preloved dog a few years ago. And I have to tell you, it has been such a joy to have been able to give her a loving home. It is hard to believe that someone could have mistreated her so badly.

We have always had big dogs - and Bella is a Great Dane cross. Whenever I say that, people's eyes widen and the expression drains from their face. I always find myself following it up with "but she's not as big as a Great Dane".

The truth is, we don't know what she is crossed with. And this is one of the downfalls of adopting preloved dogs. You might never know exactly what breed they are, how old they are, their medical background, and more. It is a learning experience as you go along your journey together.

Bella was about one year old when she came to us. All the Vet could really say about her age was that she was more than 8 months because she had lost her baby teeth.

I won't go into the early year of her life, other than to say that she nearly died - twice.

I will say, preloved dogs often come with emotional baggage. And Bella is no exception. She takes a while to work up the courage to meet new people who come to our house. She is afraid of cardboard and plastic bags. And we had to learn to say the word "no" very calmly, instead of shouting it (the way we had to with our previous dog, an alpha-male German Shepherd).

It has been a learning experience for all of us - but in a good way. It has been very rewarding to give a loving and safe home for Bella and to watch her grow and blossom into the wonderful pet she always longed to be!

And she gives the love back ten-fold. It is such a joy to see her bursting with excitement when I come home from work every day.

Earlier I touched on Bella's traumatic start to life before she came to us. In truth, it is unlikely you will ever know the background of your preloved dog. We stumbled across her history by accident about a year after we got her. I had always felt we were doing something good for this beautiful, majestic animal. And knowing a little about her history made me treasure her even more.

If you are thinking of getting a dog, why not look into preloved dogs. We would definitely go down this road again one day. There are dog rescue groups, some of which specialise in particular breeds of dogs. Or there is the RSPCA (or SPCA), or your local dog shelters.

I urge you to check these out. Most dogs end up in facilities like these through no fault of their own, and all they want to do is be happy and make you happy. Why not give one a second chance at life and happiness!

Adopting preloved dogs is a way for you to give something back, to do something good, and to make a wonderful new friendship. It can be an immensely rewarding experience.