Honey doesn’t look like a hero. She’s a pug from Redbank Plains. She’s small and snuffly, the kind of dog you expect to see trotting down the footpath or snoozing on a lounge, not walking into an intensive care unit day after day. But that’s where Honey did her most important work: during the final months of her human Vanessa’s life, she visited the ICU daily for three months, offering calm companionship in a place defined by alarms, bright lights, and uncertainty.
In January 2026, Honey’s story reached well beyond Ipswich’s western suburbs when she was named the Canine Home Hero Medal recipient at the 2026 Australian Dog of the Year Awards. The medal recognises dogs whose intuition, courage or companionship makes a life-changing difference at home.
For locals, it’s not hard to understand why this story is landing. Most people in our community have had some brush with hospital corridors — visiting relatives, sitting through long nights, holding their breath for good news. Puppy Tales, which runs the national awards, describes those final three months for Vanessa as time spent in ICU, with Honey there to help make a clinical space feel like home.
Nervous Dog to Support Dog
Honey was once a timid rescue, but grew into an assistance dog whose steadiness became a comfort not only for Vanessa, but for Vanessa’s husband Joel and even hospital staff who saw her gentle resolve up close – from nervous beginnings to a grounded presence during the hardest chapter.
That “now” matters, because the story doesn’t end when the hospital visits do. Honey continues to support Joel now. Vanessa has since passed away, but Honey continues forward as Joel’s assistance dog — a living thread of routine and companionship in the wake of grief.
It’s a detail that shifts the story from a snapshot of devotion to something longer: what happens after the casseroles stop coming, after the messages slow down, after the world moves on, and a person is left learning how to keep moving too.
Joel describes Honey as the reason he keeps going, not with grand statements, but with ordinary anchors and routines. It’s the kind of line many readers will recognise, even if their “Honey” looks different: a pet that insists the day begin, a lead that needs clipping on, a warm body that doesn’t ask for explanations.
Honey’s recognition also nudges at something else: the assumptions about what a “working dog” looks like. In Australia, people tend to picture Labradors and German Shepherds first — big, capable silhouettes. Honey is proof that support can arrive in small packages, and that assistance isn’t only about dramatic tasks. Sometimes it’s the steady presence; sometimes it’s the reason someone gets out of bed; sometimes it’s a dog who keeps turning up, even when the place is frightening, and the future is unclear.
Who else was recognised in the 2026 awards
Honey’s recognition sits alongside a diverse group of dogs honoured nationally in the 2026 Australian Dog of the Year Awards, run by Puppy Tales. This year’s winners reflect the many ways dogs support Australians — from therapy and assistance work to advocacy, sport and community wellbeing — often in roles that unfold quietly and far from public view.
The overall Australian Dog of the Year was Louie, a Border Collie from the Gold Coast who works as a certified therapy dog supporting survivors of sexual violence.
Other major award recipients included Isla, a guide dog whose partnership restored independence and confidence for her human in Sydney, and Willow, a deaf rescue dog from Victoria who has helped change perceptions about deaf dogs through advocacy and education.
Further honours went to Gus, a long-serving comfort dog at Ronald McDonald House WA, and Puck, a Saluki recognised for exceptional achievements across multiple canine disciplines and for school wellbeing work.
Together, the recipients highlight that while their work may look different, each dog’s contribution is rooted in connection, trust, and showing up when it matters most.
Published 27-Jan-2026
