Did you see what happens at stand 4?
In this video is Callie, a Cocker Spaniel from the @medicaldetectiondogs team, the first dogs in the UK being trained to sniff out bowel cancer from a urine sample.
Here’s the scene: a training room, 4 interactive stands, only one positive sample.
Callie sniffs stand 1, stand 2, stand 3… then she gets to stand 4 and freezes.
That’s her unmistakable signal. A stand and stare. She locks onto the sample, tail straight, and then her signature tippy taps begin – those little excited paws. She’s telling her trainer Mark: “It’s here. I’m absolutely sure.”
That stand holds just 2ml of urine from a patient with stage 1 bowel cancer. A scent we could never detect, but for her, it’s crystal clear. And the most incredible part is she’s trained to ignore all the other samples, even those from people with Crohn’s, IBD or diverticulitis.
This project, launched in 2024 with The Open University, could change everything: a non-invasive, fast and early test that starts with the most powerful sensor in the world. A dog’s nose.
Today Callie didn’t just find a sample. She showed us what the future of prevention could look like.
Good girl. ❤️
Video credit: @medicaldetectiondogs
