One kick saved Michaela Field.

Back in December 2016, Michaela, found herself at the lowest she’s ever been.

Blighted by post-traumatic stress disorder and unable to see an alternative, she was ready to end her life when Nicky, a three-legged Saluki greyhound, kicked her - hard.

“I was in the throes of committing suicide and he was by my side on the sofa,” recalls Michaela, 51.

“Suddenly he kicked my arm really hard and it shocked me out of the moment – he’s never done it before or since.

“I literally turned to give him a rollicking because it hurt – he’s not a little boy – then I realised what had happened.

“He’s got this way of looking at you where he’s not just looking into your eyes, he’s looking into the very heart of you.

“I realised the one thing I couldn’t do was leave him behind

“That’s the only thing that turned my head back round.”

The incident marked a nadir in Michaela’s life, as she battled her deteriorating mental and physical health – Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and arthritis compounding symptoms of PTSD, claustrophobia and agoraphobia.

“I was in a very, very dark place, stuck in a horrible place of not being able to go out or stay in,” she added.

“I was lucky if I was getting an hour’s sleep a week.

“The PTSD went into overdrive and I started having panic attacks

“I thought if this is all that’s left, I can’t deal with it anymore.”

Moments after Nicky intervened, however, Michaela logged on to the website of Mind, the mental health charity.

She contacted a local counsellor who has been using Nicky, who suffers from her own disability, as an inspiration to help turn her life around.

Despite no formal training, Nicky has become Michaela’s assistance dog and helps to control her panic attacks.

Now, Michaela, a former veterinary nurse, hopes to recognise Nicky’s impact with a nomination in the Man’s Best Friend category in the Friends for Life awards at the famous Crufts dog show.

Friends for Life is a celebration of just how much dogs change and improve people’s lives. Five of the finalists will go to the 127th edition of Crufts – where every dog has its day – held once again at the NEC in Birmingham, where the winner will be announced on Sunday, March 11.

People can vote for the dog they want to win by visiting the Crufts website, with the victor receiving £5,000 from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust to donate to a dog charity of their choice and runners-up £1,000.

And after taking her in three-legged rescue dog six years ago, she never could have predicted the impact the ‘tripawd’ would have on her life.

“I’ve never seen a sadder looking little character – he had the most hangdog expression you’ve ever seen,” concluded Michaela.

“But he walked up the pathway and into my house almost as if he’d lived here before.

“I didn’t quite realise just how much he’d got to me.

“He’s just been the most inspirational dog throughout the amount of time that I’ve had him.

“I’ve fostered a lot of dogs over the years but this guy walked into my house and into my heart.

“Thanks to him, I am now becoming a PTSD survivor.”