With special protective boots, to protect his paws at recent fire scenes, Jay will alert his handlers to the presence of petrol and other substances used to deliberately fuel fires. Jay will also visit schools, as part of an education programme aimed at reducing wilful fire-raising.

Trevor Lynch, Jay’s trainer, told BBC News:

“The dog is very quick to search areas and it should significantly cut down on the time it takes to search a scene following a fire for traces of accelerant.”

His owners, Roberta Marshall and George Fowler, had removed the battery from their smoke alarm. Thankfully, Max’s barking woke them and they were able to get out in time.

Roberta told the Express and Star newspaper:

“We owe our lives to Max because if he had not woken us up we might not have made it out alive.

“We went to bed as normal about 10.30pm and the next thing we know Max was jumping up and down and barking like mad.”

Yogi has been helping twelve year old Daniel, who has Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy, for the past eighteen months. Thanks to training by the charity Dogs for the Disabled, Yogi has given Daniel a new lease of independence.

“I used to feel like I was trapped in a box and unable to get out. Yogi is my best friend; I couldn’t imagine life without him. He’s there to help whenever I need him and makes me smile whenever I feel sad,” Daniel told Dogs for the Disabled.

Yogi’s amazing abilities include helping Daniel to take his socks off, pulling his duvet back on should it come off in the night and barking if Daniel falls.

Daniel and Yogi received an astounding 80% of the 144,000 votes amde by viewers of the BBC’s Crufts coverage. During an emotional ceremony in Crufts’ main ring, Ben Fogle presented the pair with their award, climaxing in a standing ovation from the crowd.

You can find out more about Daniel, Yogi and the work of Dogs for the Disabled at www.dogsforthedisable.org

Belle – who has undergone $8,000 worth of special training – is able to detect when her owner, Kevin Weaver, is ill. By smelling the minute changes in the sweetness of his breath, Belle recognises the changes in Kevin’s blood sugar levels.

Recently, the training paid off when Kevin’s blood sugar levels dropped to a dangerous level. Belle clawed at Kevin, telling him he was about to pass out. As he began to have a seizure, the other part of Belle’s training kicked in. Amazingly, she found her human pal’s mobile phone and bit down on the 9 key, automatically connecting her to the emergency services.

Presumably, Kevin has an arrangement with the local ambulance service as they recognised his caller ID, along with Belle’s barking, and sent help!

Video and picture at KUTV .

PC Steve Wilson described what had happened:

“Jazz located a package with a scent similar to that of the class A drug.

“As he picked up the package his teeth pierced the wrapping and some of the substance became attached to his teeth and gums.

“When I saw that Jazz had some of the substance on him, my heart sank as I knew it would make him extremely ill.”

He was rushed to a nearby vet where he was given a stomach pump, injected with a suitable antidote and put onto a drip overnight.

“Jazz is back to full health and has returned to duty. I?€™d like to pass on my sincere thanks to the veterinary practice for responding so quickly and with such professionalism.”

The West Yorkshire Police website reports that, as a result of the raid, a man was arrested and a firearm and heroin were recovered.

Nice one Jazz.

Scott Hughes, proprietor of the Mitre Inn in Tettenhall, was asleep when a fire took hold on the upper floor. Thanks to Maximus scratching and barking at Scott’s door, both pub and everyone inside were saved.

With any luck, we’ll have more details on Maximus’ bravery, along with a few pictures, later this week.