He's just four months old and a couple of feet off the ground, but for Australians living with a rare disease, Bill could be a serious game changer.

The golden retriever will soon begin training to assist his owner Laura Moody, who lives with Addison's disease, in case of a medical emergency.

If successful, Bill will become Australia's first medical alert dog for the condition.

Laura, 27, searched for a service that could help her train a puppy after experiencing a life-threatening adrenal crisis.

"I woke up feeling fine, had my porridge, then in the space of five minutes I went from totally normal to blurred vision, vomiting, intense cramping — it was really scary," the Sydneysider says.

Thankfully her partner was there to administer an emergency injection and call an ambulance, but it left Laura feeling scared to be alone.

Miracle Assistance Dogs will support the training, teaching Bill to sense when Laura's cortisol (stress hormone) levels are low before symptoms appear.

It's the freedom and independence Laura has been looking for and many others could benefit from.

"I often get quite anxious on my own, if I had him there I would have so much more peace of mind," Laura says.

We heard from Laura when we asked you to share your pets with human names.

"I wanted to give him a human name not only because I love the quirkiness of it, but once he's a qualified medical alert dog, I'd love to be able to refer to him as 'my assistant, Bill'," Laura says.

What is Addison's disease? Addison's disease is a rare endocrine (hormonal) disorder. The Australian Addison's Disease Association Inc. estimates there are 3,000 Australians living with the disease. It occurs in all age groups and occurs when the adrenal glands don't produce enough of the hormone cortisol. Weight loss, nausea, chronic fatigue and increased pigmentation in the skin are all symptoms of Addison's. Although a life-long and life-threatening condition, the disease can be managed with the right medication and care. For more information and support, visit the Australian Addison's Disease Association Inc. website.

'I almost died' during an Addison's crisis

Addison's disease can be difficult to diagnose due to "super vague" symptoms, explains Laura.

Many patients are only diagnosed once acutely admitted in Addison's crisis, as was the case with Laura.

"I had no energy, towards the end I couldn't even stand up for two minutes without feeling like I would pass out," she says.

She'd lost a lot of weight and couldn't eat anything.

Two weeks before her diagnosis in May 2017, she was in hospital and "completely delirious", but was released.

"Two weeks later I got really sick again and luckily a doctor worked out what I had.

"My mum thought to tell him I had more freckles than usual — apparently that's one of the key things that tips people off about Addison's.

"The doctor said I would've been lucky to survive another night if they hadn't diagnosed me when they did."

Finding Bill, the golden retriever

Laura with Bill and her older dog Pacha. ( Supplied: Laura Moody )

Laura first learnt about medical alert dogs being used overseas for Addison's via Facebook groups.

There, she'd also read some sad stories that encouraged her to find her own.

"A woman shared the story of her daughter who had a crisis. She had a carer, but they had arranged that day for the carer to have a day off.

"Her daughter had a crisis on her own and died. I remember thinking, if she had a service dog she would have survived."

Laura tried several groups before finding Miracle Assistance Dogs, who recognised the training would be similar to that for diabetic medical alert dogs who sense low insulin levels.

"My first thought was she had to go back and do the research and find out if we could actually do this," director of training, Carmel Kaczmar, says of her first communication with Laura.

Once a pathway was clear, the group helped her find an appropriate puppy.

When Bill reaches six months old, he will start under their owner trainer program.

Ms Kaczmar says Laura is responsible for the bulk of the training, but will undertake face-to-face and online conferencing sessions and receive ongoing support from the team.

How Bill could change Laura's life

Laura lives a relatively normal life most of the time, but is at risk of adrenal crisis (when her cortisol levels drop to dangerous levels), especially when ill.

"Because I have to take steroids every day, my immune system is really bad, and when you're sick you are more likely to have a crisis," she says.

Bill will be trained to smell on her breath or skin (via salvia or sweat) if her cortisol levels are low, before it's too late.

Bill will begin training at six months old. ( Supplied: Laura Moody )

"It can happen very quickly. You can go from normal to unconscious in a matter of minutes — the dogs can notice the symptoms before I can.

"Also if I am sick and I can't get up [to get the medication], he will be trained to fetch my emergency injection pack and my phone.

"If I do pass out, I will have a button in my home which he'll be trained to press which will call an ambulance."

That can be lifesaving, says Ms Kaczmar.

"A few weeks ago we had a dog who pressed their owner's alert button — an ambulance came and her life was saved."

Ms Kaczmar says Bill will also help more generally, such as when Laura's memory might be affected.

"If she loses things easily, he can help her find them. He will also wear a Miracle Assistance Dogs coat which will have pockets that say 'in emergency, please open'. There people will find an envelope with all the necessary details."

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So, will Bill pass the medical assistance dog training?

Laura is confident Bill will pass the necessary training to become Australia's first medical assistance dog for Addison's disease. And she wants others to benefit.

"He's the smartest dog I've ever had," she says.

"I'm a good person to try and do it as a first, I'm good with dogs."

Ms Kaczmar says they have high hopes for Bill, due to Laura's determination and previous experience with dog training.

If successful, Laura says more dogs like Bill could be the difference between life and death for many other Australians.

"I really hope he is successful in becoming Australia's first medical alert dog for Addison's, and it's an added bonus that it sounds like he's a human assistant."