How a Kiwi woman's dog saved her life and found her a husband

Without her assist dog Molly, Kiri Lee would be in a very different place today. Photo / Supplied

Without Molly, Kiri Lee wouldn't have moved out of home, met her husband or had a child.

"Molly has given me a life," she says of her epilepsy assist dog. Kiri, who was a premature baby with scarring on the temporal lobe of her brain, started having seizures when she was nine. They strike at random and she can go for two weeks without one, then have several in a day.

"Before Kiri got Molly, she couldn't walk down the road on her own," says her mum Glenn. "She lived at home and I had to drive her to and from work every day. We lived in the country and Kiri had quite a restrictive life."

Molly, a black labrador, was bred as a guide dog, but had minor cataracts, so failed the eye-sight test. It took just three months to re-train the pup for her new purpose. When she was placed with Kiri, life changed for the whole family almost overnight. Molly became Kiri's constant companion, offering comfort and security after a seizure, as well as being a signpost for the public in her labelled "epilepsy assist" jacket.

For Kiri, that spelt independence and peace of mind for her parents. Before long, Kiri was ready to live on her own. Once settled in their new house, Molly appointed herself another role: matchmaking her mistress with the bachelor next door. Kiri explains, "Whenever Nick walked down the drive to get the mail, Molly would jump on the fence to say hello."

The neighbours got chatting and discovered a shared passion for rugby league and black Labradors. The relationship blossomed and when Nick and Kiri tied the knot, Molly was the paw-fect ring-bearer. Keen to start a family, Nick and Kiri didn't make the decision to have a baby lightly.

They talked to doctors about the risks and consulted family as Kiri couldn't be alone with a baby. "We wouldn't have had a child if it hadn't been for Mum and Dad," she says. Kiri was closely monitored throughout her pregnancy and, after labour set off a seizure, had an epidural in theatre to ensure the safe arrival of their son Jacob, who is now four.

Glenn and her husband Bill, who live 10 minutes up the road, spend the day with Kiri and Jacob while Nick is at work, and Molly pulls her weight, too. On more than one occasion, the clever canine has saved Kiri's life.

It's thanks to Molly that Kiri met her husband and now has a son. Photo / Supplied

One day, when the pair was commuting to work, Kiri had a seizure coming down the ramp and fell backwards onto the track behind the train. No one had seen it happen, but people were alerted by an agitated black dog jumping up and down and looking over the side of the platform.

"The guard held up the train and got Kiri safely on board," recalls a grateful Glenn. "If it would have been lying there when the next train came in. Witnesses told us the dog had saved her life."

After a seizure, Molly will stay beside Kiri while she is unresponsive, then guide her home as she is often disorientated. "Molly makes Kiri visible," says Nick. "Because of the nature of her seizures, she could appear to be stoned or drunk."

Molly will also fetch her mistress' phone, which Kiri has fitted with a carrying strap to avoid getting slobber on the screen. They have installed an alarm linked to emergency services, but haven't taught Molly how to push the button, worried the food-focused pooch might "press for room service" to get a treat!

Kiri started having seizures when she was nine. Photo / Supplied

But Jacob is learning the drill in anticipation of the time he is old enough to be alone with his mum. Now that he's at kindergarten, Kiri is getting some independence back and life will change again when he starts school. A philosophical Kiri takes her seizures in her stride. "I don't find them frightening because I know nothing about them."

Post-seizure, she suffers from short-term memory loss, which can be both a blessing and a little confusing as she ponders mysterious bruises and the occasional fracture. One time, after wondering all day why she had a headache, all was explained when she got home and saw a hole in the bathroom wall where she'd hit her head.

Kiri's condition hasn't stopped her from playing hockey, and the team is used to her having seizures mid-match.

"Molly comes galloping across the field and they stop the game and cart me off, then carry on playing," tells Kiri.