A DOG may be a man’s best friend, but for one Hampshire woman, it could be a lifesaver.

Emmie Wallace, 26, who has type 1 diabetes, is raising money for a specially trained assistance dog to help her control her condition.

But not content to put on a standard fundraising event, she’s decided to take to the slopes to train for a sponsored snowboard.

She said: “I wanted to do something different and I’d never really done any extreme sports before.

“It’s hard for me to know how my body will react to exercise because when your body is under stress it produces more glucose.

“When I first started snowboarding I had to take extra insulin and it was making me feel really ill but I’m a determined person and I don’t want my diabetes to stop me living my life.”

Emmie, of Cadlands Park Estate, Holbury, has hardly any symptoms when her bloodsugar levels go too high or too low and in the past she’s collapsed and had fits.

She’s now hoping to get a hypo-alert dog, which would be able to detect tiny changes in her blood sugar levels.

“Apparently dogs have more than a million reactors in their noses.

“They can actually smell when your levels change.”

Emily is raising money for charity Cancer & Bio- Detection Dogs with a two-hour sponsored snowboard at Southampton Alpine Centre on Monday, November 29.