Bertie's hero certificate

But by the time he left, he had saved a woman's life - an act of bravery in addition to his day job as a trainee hearing dog for the deaf.

The charity which teamed up Bertie with Ms Stevenson has named the plucky pooch as their dog of the month for his live-saving exploits.

Ms Stevenson, who relies on Bertie to alert her to everyday sounds which most people take for granted, explained what happened.

She said: "He stood bolt upright and started barking at the lady in the opposite bed.

Stopped breathing

"We couldn't quieten him down, we didn't know what was wrong, so one of the nurses went across to check that she was all right and in fact she wasn't all right."

The ward staff were surprised to discover that the woman had stopped breathing.

"The nurses were all agreed that Bertie had helped save her life - I was so proud of him, " added Ms Stevenson.

Jenny Moir, of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: "We do find that our hearing dogs do do unusual things.

"It shows that they are looking out not only for their owners but their owner's friends."