A dog who is transforming the life of her owner is the star Our Lives: My Life Saving Dog, airing on BBC1 Friday 21 July at 7.30pm.

Care leaver Mei, 20, from Norwich struggles with depression and anxiety and has been hospitalised several times. But thanks to her Golden retriever Koda, Mei is able to live independently and has been hospital free for two years.

Assistance dogs can be trained to do everything from spotting oncoming epileptic seizures to alleviating anxiety attacks.

Spending most of her teens in care, suffering from an eating disorder and prone to self-harm and crippling anxiety, Mei was too scared to leave her home. Enter Koda - a gorgeous, golden retriever who loves toys, treats and most importantly, Mei. Together, it’s time to venture out.

Whilst Mei is still finding her feet, dealing with her own anxieties, she is passionate about educating others about assistance dogs. That is why she wants the audience to follow her journey with Koda. The pair are training for a tough challenge, known as the PAT – public access test. The aim is to help Mei manage her panic attacks in situations she has, up until now, avoided her whole life.

The brave duo must pass the tough tests in the centre of busy Birmingham. But two-year old Koda still has a lot to learn, as well as a tendency to fall asleep on the job. Can they do it together?

“She is not perfect, neither am I, and together this is going to be our biggest challenge yet”, states Mei.

Mei has been chosen from hundreds of care leavers to take part in a special panel set up by Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza. But it means making her first independent trip to London. Thanks to Koda she is able to make the trip without panic attacks.

As Mei explains, ”I don’t know whether there are enough words to be able to tell her how much she means to me and how much she has helped my life. She’s literally my world and I don’t think I could live without her”.

The documentary is produced by Norwich based Eye Film.