A 'HERO' hearing dog that saved its owners life in their smoke-filled home in York is set to be the first ever service dog to feature on a popular TV show.
Back in 2021, 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.
And now, Kirsten, her husband Matt and Pickle are preparing to feature on BBC's Pointless to help raise awareness of the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People - making the heroic pooch the first ever service dog to appear on the show.
Kirsten said: "Me, my husband and Pickle went on Pointless in November last year to film the episode that will air on August 31. We want to raise awareness of what hearing dogs do and help to raise funds for the charity, which is not Government funded. It relies on volunteers and recipients to raise funds for them.
"Steven Mangan was the show's co-host with Alexander Armstrong. They called Pickle the ninth member of the panel - ans she is the first ever service dog on the show."
Shortly after the incident at their home in York, Kirsten and Matt tied the knot and heroic Pickle attended the wedding as ring bearer.
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 reached the final four in the Hero Pets’ category in global-hearing specialist Amplifon’s search for the ‘Best of British’ heroes in 2021.
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.
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.
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