I read a fascinating article on the training of dogs to “sniff” out cancerous growths in humans, as well as a scientific development in the creating of a mechanical sniffing device. Now my fascination hinges from my love for dogs and their habits. The messages that are read in their behaviour patterns, and their ability to communicate with humans, if you are able to interpret the differing expressions. I have watched a dog protect my Grand child in the most unobvious way, by placing himself between the child and a person unknown to him. There was no facial expression or detectable noise, but merely a body language that said “stay back.”

I have always felt, that we try to train dogs, yet is it not possible that they are, at the same time training us? Dogs communicate with each other in different ways, but the one most obvious is the sniffing of the rear orifice. Now what can they be detecting there? Are they checking out the others health in the same way that we ask “how are you?” We receive a verbal response to our enquiry, and probably ignore the answer. Maybe the dog asks and receives an answers from the odorous emission’s of the rear opening.

As we are all aware, there are major variations in the odours emitted when passing wind, can these be an indicator of our present health? Can a cancerous growth send a message out of the body, that varies such that it is distinguishable from the other foul odours the human body manages to extrude? The dogs have proven to have had a success rate of 47% when sniffing out the more surface structured cancerous growths, like a melanoma.

If a dog could be trained to accurately diagnose cancer, can you imagine what your visit, in the future, to the Oncologist would be like.

“Hello Doctor should I lie or stand?”

“Lie down please so that the dog can sniff you.”

“Turn over so that he can sniff your rear side.”

Oncologists would all need a dog, and you might now select the Doctor you wish to consult, rather on your preferences of the breed of the dog, rather than their reputation. This is taking the use of dogs to an extreme. Sniffer dogs for drugs, explosives and guns, I can understand, the dog has an entertainment element, as well as a reward if they are correct. How would you reward a dog for the discovery of cancer? A holiday in the Caribbean, with their favourite partner? After all the discovery could be life changing.

These experiments could have a fascinating outcome, and maybe one to follow on the web, who knows what could follow, a dog that sniffs your rear and diagnoses a disease?