A BARRY dog who predicts when her owner is about to collapse has won an award.

Black labrador Bella won a devotion award from the veterinary charity PDSA, for enriching the life of her owner and being a loyal aid.

She was nominated by her owner, Wayne Mayor, who suffers from a debilitating lung condition which makes him prone to bouts of feinting.

The 50-year-old, who adopted Bella when she was a puppy, said his condition makes living a normal life very difficult.

“When I first took Bella on, I thought there was something wrong with her," he said. "She would suddenly bark, show her teeth and go mad. I didn’t understand why she was behaving this way, but over time I noticed a pattern. She would always act strangely just before I had a collapse, and fell unconscious.

“We realised that Bella was alerting us to the fact I was about to collapse.

"It’s truly amazing – she’s not been trained to do this.

"Now, when she makes these warning signs, I know that I should sit down and take it easy.”

Mr Mayor saud Bella’s assistance has made a tremendous difference to his life.

“Having Bella means I’m able to go for trips in my motorhome with my son," he added. "Without her looking out for me and alerting others that I’m having a fall or over-exerting myself, we just wouldn’t be able to do this. Having Bella saves me the stress and embarrassment of collapse.

“I’m so pleased that PDSA has given Bella the acknowledgement she really deserves. I am so proud of her – she has helped me in so many ways and I am so happy to celebrate with her.

"She is truly amazing and life wouldn’t be the same without her.”

Bella was presented with the award by PDSA vet nurse Karen Jones at a special ceremony at PDSA’s Cardiff Pet Hospital.

Ms Jones said: “We know only too well the amazing impact that pets have on our lives. The PDSA Commendation recognises the outstanding devotion that animals display and celebrates the amazing ways that they enrich our lives. Bella has had a massive impact on Wayne’s life and is a worthy recipient of the PDSA Commendation. Some animals have an innate ability to sense danger and protect their owners. It’s fantastic to help recognise Bella’s inspirational capacity to do this with the PDSA’s prestigious commendation award.”