With Pet Appreciation Week last week, what better time to pay tribute to our furry friends than by celebrating how much our pets mean to us. A perfect example of how our pets do everything in their power to keep us safe, healthy and happy is Molly, the courageous ‘silkie’ who has saved her eight year old owner, Hannah’s life.

Hannah and Olivia are twins, and both have type 1 diabetes. They are currently living with their parents Martin and Adrienne in the ACT. Molly, their Australian silkie terrier dog has a huge responsibility of being the girls’ secondary ‘guardian,’ determining whether their blood glucose levels are too low or too high.

Molly has been taught to detect and recognise the odour of ketones, and participates in yearly training and tests, such as the Public Access Test. Here, Molly is able to to prove that she knows her stuff and can continue to care for Hannah and Olivia.

Every night Molly does the rounds to make sure the twins are safely asleep.

On one occasion as the girls slept, Molly detected ketones on Hannah’s saliva and with great tenacity managed to wake Adrienne. As a result, Adrienne was able to call the ambulance in time to save Hannah’s life. Molly stayed right by her side until the paramedics arrived.

Molly is such an instrumental part of the family, and she is the only dog in the ACT who goes to school every day. Molly sits with the girls in class and continually monitors the twin’s blood glucose levels, notifying the girl’s teacher if their levels get too high or low.

The companionship between the girls, the family and ACT community brings to life the true meaning of Pet Appreciation Week in Australia.

Molly’s story, alongside other canine tales is getting the recognition they deserve in ‘Dogs of Australia- The Untold Stories of Our Canine Heroes’.