I’m betting this woman is REALLY glad she has a dog! A recent episode of “Secret Life of Dogs” on BBC Earth highlighted the story of Max, a collie mix, who had an important message for his mama, Maureen Burns.
Burns had recently had a mammogram, which came back clear, but her dog began acting very strangely. He would sniff her breast, then back off and lay down, looking very depressed. She originally thought the 9-year old dog was letting her know he was ready to cross the rainbow bridge, but she eventually came to connect the dog’s strange behavior with her own health.
Burns had another mammogram, which still turned out clear, but somehow convinced her doctors to do a biopsy. And, ta-da! They found a small lump, too small to be seen on a scan, but cancerous nonetheless. Researchers say that tumors give off chemicals that dogs can smell, and in this case, Max’s diligence and body language skills paid off in a big way.
As soon as Burns came home from the hospital, Max sniffed her breast, then began wagging his tail, knowing now that his mama was A-OK.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!