A deaf girl with anxiety and a disabled sportswoman have been nominated for an award with their support dogs.

Elyana Kuhlemeier, 12, from Hove, and Jazz Turner, 25, from Seaford, have both been selected as finalists for "The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award" ahead of Crufts 2024, the largest dog show in the world.

The awards celebrate canines across the country that significantly help their owners.

Elyana said it is "really special" to be nominated with her black labrador Gordon, who changed her life after she developed severe anxiety as a result of being deaf.

READ MORE: Coastguards called to emergency as family of five get stuck in mud at popular beach

She said: "He improved my life a lot, I used to have anxiety issues where I would spend a lot of the day vomiting and then I got Gordon and he made me really happy.

The Argus: Elyana said he is her "best friend"

"I can’t hear anything without my hearing aids so sometimes if I still don’t get up he’ll lick my face.

“He also does the fire alarm, when that goes off he’ll come and nudge me and I’ll say, 'What is it?' and he’ll lie down, alerting me to any danger.

"Gordon is my best friend, he’s also helped me mentally and he helps me calm down if I’ve had a bad day at school.

"It feels really special and makes me proud to have been nominated, it also raises awareness to all the helpful things that hearing dogs have done for people like me."

Fellow finalist Jazz said her assistant dog Phoebe, a golden retriever, turned her life around after she was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

The Argus: Jazz Turner and her dog Phoebe, from Seaford, are among the finalists for the The Kennel Club Hero

The rare inherited condition, which affects connective tissue in the body, threatened to put an end to her sailing career, which she started aged 13.

Jazz said: "Phoebe is my lifeline, as my assistance dog she is mainly a medical alert dog, and it means I can be a normal 25-year-old.

"Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do anything, I’d be stuck at home all the time.

"She’s also my best friend and my companion, I couldn’t imagine life without her.

"I sail for GB as a para athlete and have been competing for them for the past three years.

"Phoebe comes sailing with me and alerts me if I need to head back to shore, she comes in the boat with me so I can focus on racing."

Jazz also said that Phoebe works as part of a therapy dog team.

The Argus: Jazz said she "couldn’t imagine life without" Phoebe

She said: "We go around care homes and hospitals, her speciality is that we work with people who have learning disabilities because she’s so calm.

“She brings comfort to those in hospitals, specifically working in ICU because she’s so used to medical devices and doesn’t worry about machines."

The Kennel Club selected the finalists and the public can now vote for the winner.

Crufts, which celebrates dogs from all walks of life, takes place from March 7 to 10 at the NEC in Birmingham and tickets are available at crufts.org.uk