A HEARING dog that saved its deaf owner's life in their smoke-filled home in York was today hailed a 'guardian angel'.

And the heroic pooch has now been shortlisted in a national competition final for its bravery during the incident.

Female Cockapoo hearing dog, Pickle, alerted owner Kirsten Carmichael to a fire in the middle of the night at their former home in Cambridge Street in York city centre - and guided her through the flat to safety.

In the potentially fatal incident, Kirsten, who suffers from Ménière’s disease and completely lost her hearing in both ears in 2016, had fallen asleep in bed before being awakened by Pickle who was repeatedly licking and nudging her. As Kirsten woke, she realised her dog was demonstrating the sign for danger, so got out of bed to find out more.

Kirsten, 31, said: “I checked each room and couldn’t see anything to worry about, but Pickle directed me towards the door. I looked through the peep hole and noticed smoke billowing out of my neighbour’s property.

“I initially panicked as smoke had started to also come into our home, but Pickle has a way of keeping me calm. I woke my partner Matt, and we rang the fire brigade and were able to safely leave our home – as did our neighbours.”

By the time Kirsten and Matt were able to leave the property, it was full of toxic smoke and had Pickle not woken them, they would have likely remained unconscious and may have died.

Kirsten, who adopted Pickle in 2018, describes her dog as her “soul mate and guardian angel”.

Shortly after the incident, Kirsten and Matt tied the knot and heroic Pickle attended the wedding as ring bearer. Now, Kirsten is pregnant and will give birth later this year.

Kirsten, who now lives in Selby, said: “I’ve faced a lot of rejection because of my disability but because of Pickle, my outlook on life is much more positive. Having her by my side means I’m never scared of being alone and she’s always there for me when I need her.

“Without her, we wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t have got married and we wouldn’t be looking forward to this next chapter in our lives. She is my hero.”

Pickle has reached the final four in the Hero Pets’ category in global-hearing specialist Amplifon’s search for the ‘Best of British’ heroes.

Pickle and Kirsten will both be invited to the virtual awards presentation on Tuesday, October 5.

The awards, now in its sixth year, will be hosted by BBC One TV Breakfast and Radio 5 Live presenter, Rachel Burden and Falklands War hero Simon Weston will be guest of honour.

The awards recognise courage and achievement in categories including Against All Odds, Service To Country, Charity Champion, Active Agers, Young Hero, Hero Pet, Celebrity Hero and Coronavirus Hero. The judges will then choose a winner of the Overall Hero Award from the category victors.

They were set up in honour of Amplifon’s founder, Second World War hero Charles Holland, who dedicated his life to providing better hearing for people affected by the conflict.

Amplifon specialises in hearing solutions and devices.