Faulconbridge resident Laura Greaves has found ways to work with dogs for decades because she loves them - she never expected to be officially honoured for it.
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"I'm rarely lost for something to say, but I honestly can't quite find the right words to describe how I feel about it," she told the Gazette.
"[It] makes me feel even more grateful to all the dogs I've loved throughout my life for teaching me one of life's greatest truths: dogs are a gift we do not deserve."
Ms Greaves was recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in this year's King's Birthday Honours for services to animal welfare.
Her career in writing - as a journalist, author, and publicist - was found through pain and realising that she could make a difference.
At five years old, she saw a Kelpie called Freddy fall off a ute and ruin one of his legs. She wrote him a "get well soon" card, and the owner was so moved that he spent thousands to save the dog, and a three-legged Freddy remained one of the farm's hardest workers.
At eight, Ms Greaves set up "The Animal Lovers Club" with her school friends, shaking tins for the RSPCA outside their local supermarket.
At 10 years old, her dog Robbie was hit and killed by a driver that didn't stop.
"I was utterly heartbroken, but also consumed with fury that someone could be so heartless as to leave a tiny dog to die in the gutter," Ms Greaves said.
"I channelled that anger into a letter to the editor of my local newspaper, expressing my fervent belief that there is a special place in hell for people who harm animals. My letter was published... and the editor of the paper called to tell me how sorry she was about Robbie.
"It was the first time I realised that words could be powerful when it comes to animals, and I really believe it helped to set me on the path I'm on today."
Since then, Ms Greaves has written almost a dozen books on dogs, worked for dog-related news publications, and has become a media manager for Assistance Dogs Australia - which provides trained dogs to people with disability and emotional support needs.
Throughout decades of advocating for dogs, sharing their stories, and helping people connect with furry friends, Ms Greaves said she is still profoundly moved by the transformative power of the human-canine bond.
"The things that dogs will do for their people, the way they love them unconditionally... every time I think I fully understand dogs' capacity for helping people and loving people, they surprise me yet again with how wonderful they are," she said.
"They love unconditionally, they don't judge, they're so intelligent, delightfully silly, and always happy to see you. What could be better?"
Today, she lives in the Blue Mountains with her own beloved dogs. She describes her Border Collie-Kelpie mix Coco as "the most neurotic creature on the face of the earth", while her two-year-old retriever Ferdinand is "an enormous goofball".
Still looking ahead, Ms Greaves is setting up a program to provide free animal-assisted therapy (AAT) to children in foster care. As a foster mum herself, she said she knows dogs can have a profoundly positive impact on helping children who have experienced trauma.
Ms Greaves is one of 737 people honoured by Governor-General David Hurley this year, who said: "Through today's recognition we shine a light on their efforts, the impact they have and the difference they make."
