The pet I’ll never forget: Mae the labrador, who keeps me safe with her keen nose and piercing stare

It was love at first sight. I met Mae, a black labrador, in 2023 when she was 11 weeks old and she melted my heart completely. I have multiple sclerosis, postural tachycardia syndrome , and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Since having her, I have been able to start living, horse riding and driving independently again.

At the time I was struggling with the physical and mental symptoms of my illnesses and needed a medical alert dog but there was a long waiting list. So I decided to train my own dog with the help of the Medical Detection Dogs charity.

Before Mae I would fall, injure myself and then wake up alone. Now Mae can tell based on my smell that a medical episode – when my heart rate drastically increases, causing me to pass out – is coming. She recognises my odour when I’m unwell and is given a treat so sees it as a fun activity. She alerts me either by giving me a very intense stare, or if I’ve missed that because my back is turned, she will escalate the alert by doing a very gentle jump up. She has even adapted her alerts to stare at whoever has got her lead so that they can tell me to take action.

If she’s feeling particularly cheeky when I come around after an episode, she’ll fetch her treat pot and toys so I can play with her, which is also quite relaxing. I can’t put into words how magical and calming it is to have this gorgeous dog staring at you and I think to myself: “I’m really lucky to have her in my life.”

She’s taught me that slowing down doesn’t mean missing out and has helped me focus on the bigger things in life – being happy, healthy and safe. Mae is the reason I was able to complete my PhD in cancer research this year. It took eight years because I had years off for my health, but in the three years I’ve had Mae as a pet and the two years she’s been reliably alerting, I’ve managed to finish it. She’s my reason to get up and get on with my day. Taking her on walks helped me clear my head and refocus on my PhD every day.

Knowing she’s there has relaxed me so much. I went through a mental health crisis a few years ago and that is now a thing of the past. Mae’s not only removed my anxiety, but my family’s as well. Because I live alone, they used to be so worried and would often call to check on me and make sure I hadn’t fallen over.

Mae has changed all of our lives so completely, I can’t imagine existing without her. She’s my saviour. And of course, my PhD was dedicated to her.