sniffTHE

News from Medical Detection Dogs

Issue 10

Suggested donation £1

Dogs saving liveswww.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

CanCEr dEtECtion dog daiSy

2 The Sniff

For more information please contact

us at:

3 Millfield

greenway Business Park

Winslow road

great horwood

Milton Keynes

MK17 0nP

T 01296 655888

E operations@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

W medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Please contactE marketing@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

T 01243 839306

Spring / Summer 2011

If you would like tosupport the charityand advertise in the

next edition of The Sniff.

are proud to support

Medical detection dogs

www.royalcanin.co.uk

Everyone at Medical detectiondogs would like to say a hUgEthank you to royal Canin for theamazing support they have and

continue to give us.

Christina Bowden, Editorchristina.bowden@medicaldetectiondogs.org.ukJohn Akehurst, Designmarketing@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

With thanks to:Contributing photographers; Nigel Harper, Emma Jeffery and Claire Richardson

Contributors; Deborah Bragg, Claire Collier, Ali Clarke, Debbie Flint, Jo Scott, Jan Shillum and Dawn Taylor

There are two significant areas of work at the charity:

Cancer Detection Dogs: can detect the minute odours associated with many cancers.Specialist dogs trained to detect cancer volatiles can provide valuable information thatwill assist in the early diagnosis of cancer. We currently have on-going studies to detectProstate and Breast cancer, working in conjunction with oncologists, scientists and NHS Trusts.

Medical Alert Assistance Dogs: are trained to alert individuals managing day to day lifethreatening conditions by detecting minute changes in body odour. These include bloodsugar detection dogs for adults and children living with unstable Type 1 Diabetes whoreceive no warning of dangerously low blood sugar (hypos), which, if left untreated, canresult in coma, seizure and hospitalisation. In addition, we train dogs for clients with lifethreatening Addison’s disease, POT’s, narcolepsy and have trained the world’s first ‘nut detection dog’ for a client with a serious allergy leading to anaphylaxis.

For more information go to medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

CEryS and hEr MEdiCal alErt aSSiStanCE dog WEndy

Medical Detection Dogs is a charity dedicated to training dogs inthe detection and recognition of human disease by odour. Thedogs prevent medical emergencies, save human lives andimprove quality of life.

Photograph by Emma Jeffery

Photograph by Emma Jeffery

The Sniff3

I do hope you enjoy this issue of Sniff and may

I say a huge thank you for taking the time to

read about the work we do.

Dr Claire GuestChief Executive and Director of Operations

Welcome to Sniff

dr ClairE gUESt and CanCEr dEtECtion dog daiSy

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I am delighted that DebbieFlint, author and QVCpresenter, has agreed tobecome an Ambassador forMedical Detection Dogs.She will be a tremendousasset to the charity andjoins our other superbambassadors, Kate Humble,Lesley Nicol and Gill Wright.

Page 13

On the 30th October 2015 I sadly lost my lovely cockerspaniel Tangle. Tangle waspart of the world’s firstscientifically robust peerreviewed study, to determinewhether dogs could betrained to identify people withbladder cancer from urineodour. He has been a part ofmy life since 2002 and will besorely missed.

Page 7

The inaugural Medical Bio Detection Conference was ahuge success and showed quite clearly that we are worldleaders in this field.

Page 22

We have now placed over60 Medical Alert AssistanceDogs to alert to severemedical conditions and youcan read how Jade haschanged the life of Chriswho lives with highlyunstable type 1 diabetes,and his family.

Page 18

Our aim is to introduce 40puppies in to our MedicalAlert Assistance dog schemein 2016. Our socialisers arevitally important in preparingour puppies for their futuresaving lives. Without oursocialisers, we couldn’tprovide these life-savingdogs.

Page 14

4 The Sniff

The Future is bright…and very possibly dog

shaped. Our unique new

research project could prove

crucial in improving the

diagnosis and treatment of

urological cancers— Jan

Shillum talks to the people

making it happen

Photograph by Emma Jeffery

The Sniff5

Fact or FictionMany think, on hearing about MedicalDetection Dogs fascinating newresearch initiative being undertaken incollaboration with Milton KeynesUniversity Hospital and their prostate,kidney and bladder cancer patients, thatit involves dogs living in thelaboratories at the hospital or at leastvisiting every day. There will though beno Labs in the hospital labs; the dogswill screen samples at our GreatHorwood training centre.

Some even believe they can keep one ofthose wonderful detection dogs forthemselves as a kind of personal canceralarm. Not so of course, though dogscan detect their owner’s cancer, as CEODr Claire Guest and her Blue CrossMedal Award winning Daisy can testify.This and other research projects usingdetection dogs is dedicated to finding afaster, cheaper, more reliable method ofscreening for various forms of cancerand other diseases in the UK. It’s aprocess involving infinitely careful andaccurate training, talented dogs and theco-operation of scientists andstatisticians as well as consultants,doctors, specially trained nurses,volunteers and patients.

Hospital LogisticsAs Dr Rowena Fletcher, Head ofResearch and Development at MiltonKeynes University Hospital explains,the aim with this project is toscientifically test urine samples from3,000 patients and volunteers overthree years, in order to further researchand change the way prostate, bladderand kidney cancers are treated in thefuture. “I am privileged to be the Headof Department, tasked with leading theteam to give our patients the choice toparticipate in research. I work withclinical staff and our supportdepartments to ensure that studies arefeasible for us to participate in andrecruit to time and target.

“A urological study like this one hasnever been done in the UK and it is thelargest ever undertaken, we’re all veryexcited about it now we have the go

ahead from the NHS Ethics Committee.Under the auspices of Mr Iqbal Anjum,our Consultant Urologist, doctors willbegin asking their patients if theywould consider taking part — they areusually more than willing to do so —then nurses will take them to a privateroom to explain the project and they’llsign a consent form which will allowus to keep urine samples and haveaccess to notes, blood tests, MRI/CTscans/biopsy results. After that ourspecially trained research nurses willcollect the urine samples from everyurological clinic throughout thehospital — that will be a bit of achallenge — and the samples will goback to Medical Detection Dogsheadquarters to be tested.”

“We are hoping that dogs will be ableto reduce the amount of men referredfor a biopsy they don’t actually need,that would be amazing for our patients.The PSA test we use now [to measurethe Prostate Specific Antigen level in theblood] to diagnose and measuretreatment success for prostate cancer,which is the most common men’scancer in the UK, has a highfalse/positive rate. Though we don’tknow yet whether the dogs will be ableto pick up cancers earlier thanconventional methods of diagnosis, ifthey do there will be a betterprognosis, the cancers can be treatedmore easily and that will result in fewerpatients in hospital and should save theNHS a lot of money. Getting patientsback to work and a normal life willalso have a positive socio-economiceffect on the nation’s economy.”

“We have more than 3,000 staff at thehospital and since we also need controlsamples from healthy people betweenthe ages of 18 and 40, many of themare keen to volunteer; people reallywant to do it. And the dogs of coursedo too; they have a real desire toachieve. I love that they seem so eagerto get to work and are so proud ofthemselves when they detect a cancersample, they seem to see it as a treasurehunt — they have a wonderful lifestyle,work they enjoy that is incredibly

useful and a caring, family life at hometoo. I’m blown away by what theseamazing creatures can do.”

Rowena believes that in the futureolfactory detection research with dogswill lead to machines being developedto mimic their ability to detect diseasesand that these will then be in everyhospital in the UK.*

Dogs At WorkRob Harris is Medical Detection DogsBio-Detection Manager, responsible forthe training of these impossibly cleverdogs. “We have selected 10 dogs forthe research program,” he tells me,“mostly Labs and spaniels and someretriever crosses. All dogs have thecapability to detect cancer but somelack the instinct to search so workingdogs with a ‘high hunt drive’ areselected because they will be searchingout samples on a stand or carousel.After a training period the best eightwill be tested under double blindcriteria: importantly, this means all thesamples will be from a group ofpatients that the dogs have neverencountered before. The patientsproviding samples have been diagnosedbut neither the handler nor the helperknow the results. A randomisedcomputer programme is used to selectsamples and a third person places themon the carousel. So there’s nopossibility of anyone knowing whichsample is where.

Rob, like everyone involved, is thrilledabout the new research. “A recentItalian study with prostate cancer*,published earlier this year, was done atthe Humanitas Clinical and ResearchCentre in Milan using two GermanShepherds trained by the Italianmilitary and had very promisingresults. Nearly one thousand clinicalstudies — 350 positives plus controls—produced over 98-100 per centsensitivity, [- proportion of people whohave the disease and test positive for it]and 98-99 per cent specificity [- proportion of people who do nothave the disease and test negative forit]. Our preliminary training results areshowing similar accuracy. We know

We are hoping that dogs will be able to reducethe amount of men referred for a biopsy they

don’t actually need

“”

6 The Sniff

that the current PSA test has reliabilityissues so are hoping the new study willhelp to make reliability and accuracyhigher in the future.”

“This will be a Proof of Principle study,with people whose diagnosis is alreadyknown, if the study is successful we’rehoping in the future to work withparticipants whose diagnosis is notknown prior to sample testing. Scienceover the past 15 years has beensceptical about the use of canines indiagnosis but the tide is changing. Thisautumn saw the inaugural Medical BioDetection conference in Cambridge,where the electronic nose people cametogether with the canine people fortwo days to discuss what will bepossible in the future.”

Moving ForwardReiterating the importance of the workDr. Claire Guest says: “Dogs can preventunnecessary biopsy and have highlevels of reliability, The results of workrecently completed by our colleaguesin Italy published in the Journal ofUrology are truly spectacular andreplicate our findings. If the next stageof our research shows that detectiondogs can achieve consistently accurateresults from thousands of patients, weplan to offer an additional test thatcould be used alongside the currentPSA test.”

“We’ve reached a pivotal time in ourdevelopment and the beginning of a lotmore work but it’s clearly up to us toshow the potential of what we’redoing. We have three years with theMilton Keynes University Hospitalresearch; it will be an exciting,

challenging time, like travellingthrough space, a really big thing. It’s allhappened very quickly, we‘re delightedbut have to get our heads down now,focus and deliver or it will be anopportunity wasted.

The great thing about the MiltonKeynes work is that it will go on forthree years so will give us longer tovalidate in someone’s diagnostichistory. A partial indication or non-diagnosis may well change two yearsdown the line. We have so much workstill to do but not a lot of money likeother areas of research though we’reworking closely with the government.We need more bodies too, it’s been afrantic few weeks and we get tired butthere are fund raising events in thepipeline and we’re hopeful there are

others out there who appreciate theimportance of what we’re achievingand can help. This work cannot beignored, it is telling us somethingabout diagnosis that could savethousands of lives.”

The Science Bit

* Evidence based research is building toindicate that dogs could assist inimproving current diagnosis of asignificant number of cancers. Nano-technologists have already used thisresearch to develop prototypes ofelectronic noses

* The Italian study, Taverna et al, Journalof Urology 2014, reported the diagnosticaccuracy of dogs trained to recognisespecific volatile organic compounds ofprostate cancer in urine samples.

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it costs £11,200 to train a Medical detection dog, and you can

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UrinE SaMPlE BEing PrEParEd

The Sniff7

Pioneer, Tangle, a chocolate cockerspaniel, bred in Scotland, with a fieldchampion sire, was owned and trainedby Dr Claire Guest, CEO and Director ofOperations at Medical Detection Dogs.

Spurred on by anecdotal evidence ofdogs alerting their owners to cancer in2002, Claire began training Tangle torecognise the odour of cancer.

The training consisted initially of gameplaying and rewarding him if he couldsniff around a room and detect a urinesample from a bladder patient. ThenClaire moved on to discrimination tasksasking Tangle to pick out bladder cancersamples from two specimens one ofwhich was urine diluted with water.

Next Tangle was taught to distinguishbetween bladder cancer urine and theurine produced by patients with otherillnesses.

After seven months Tangle was ready toundertake the study that would changehistory.

In September 2004 The British MedicalJournal (BMJ) published the results ofthis ground-breaking research whichproved that cancer produces volatileswith distinctive odours which dogs,using their exceptional sense of smell,could detect. This was the world’s firstscientifically robust peer reviewed studyand was the publication that lead to thelater formation of the charity.

Tangle was one of the six dogs thatparticipated in this study. In the trial thedogs were trained to distinguishbetween urine samples from thirty-sixbladder cancer patients and onehundred and eight comparison samplesfrom healthy people and individualswith non-cancerous diseases.

Tangle scored the highest percentagerate, some dogs were unable to do it.He successfully identified the positivesample fifty-six percent of the time; thepercentage if the dogs were selectingsamples at random would be fourteenpercent. During training, Tanglepersistently indicated at a certainpatient’s sample which had initiallybeen assessed as non-cancerous. Thehospital doctors were particularlyimpressed when further investigationsshowed the presence of kidney cancer.

The gentleman had immediate surgeryto remove his kidney. Several weekslater he wrote the following letter:

“Dear Tangle”

“Thank for you saving my life”

This incredible work was widelycovered by the media in the UK and allaround the world. HRH The PrincessRoyal made a visit to see the work andTangle demonstrated for her. Tangle didhundreds of demonstrations fortelevision and the media and not oncedid he make any errors. He was totallyunflappable and reliable.

In April 2005, The Daily Mail featuredTangle in a full page article with theheadline “The dog that can sniff outcancer” and the sub heading “Moderntechnology is superb at diagnosingcancer, but NHS doctors havediscovered that Tangle the cockerspaniel is better still.”

In 2005, in recognition of his work,Tangle was voted the UK’s “coolestcanine” in a competition run by K9Media.

By March 2008 The Mail On Sundaywere reporting the launch of a newcharity Cancer and Bio Detection Dogs(the former name for Medical DetectionDogs) at Crufts and commenting thatTangle was “a bio detection dog with aneighty-six percent success rate insniffing out tumours.

The iconic photograph of Tangleworking on plates became the charity’slogo.

By 2011, Medical Detection Dogs hadmade significant progress in developingthe training technique and a secondbladder cancer study involving Tanglewas published in Cancer Biomarkers.

Following the 2012 Royal Caninolfactory study Tangle retired – he wasten and a half. His legacy continuedwhen his breeder donated, Jobi,Tangle’s nephew who would also betrained as a cancer detection dog.

During his retirement Tangle continuedto accompany Claire to work to spendhis day with her sleeping under her deskand enjoying walks with the other dogs.

When a cherished friend moves away,his presence will be sorely missed.Tangle changed history and his legacywill continue to save many lives in yearsto come, without him the charitywouldn’t be here today.

He will never be forgotten.

The Cancer Detection Dogthat changed History

RIP Tangle26 June 2002 – 30 October 2015

tanglE WorKing on PlatES

The Tail of Two PuppiesBy Claire Collier

From one-off donations, the gifting of suitable puppies, to ongoing sponsorships and

more, Medical Detection Dogs is extremely grateful to those who support the training

and lifelong care of these amazing dogs. Here is the story of two sponsored puppies

and their very different journeys towards becoming Medical Detection Dogs in training.

Bounce has been a revelation to hissocialiser, Sam Somerville, but perhapsnot in the way you’d think. Bounce wasdonated to Medical Detection Dogs by hisbreeder in Warwickshire. He has beennamed and sponsored by Bounce GB, theindoor trampoline park in Milton Keynes.Kimberly Cox, Puppy Training Managerhad the job of selecting him from ten littlebundles of Labrador puppy fur.

Kimberly knows that the process beginswith genetics, so she met each puppyfrom the litter individually to assesstheir reactions to toys, situations andhuman contact. The litter was fairlyevenly matched, but Bounce reacted ina confident, biddable and collectedmanner. He proved that he was well-balanced, loved meeting people and hecould face new challenges in his own,cheeky way.

When Bounce moved in with Sam and herfamily, including their own chocolateworking cocker spaniel, Dylan, thefamily were in shock and utter awewhen this little seven and a halfweek old pup, with his cute,round puppy belly, alerted themto the fact that he needed to gooutside and … ahem …relieve himself! Theintelligent, calm andfocussed character thatKimberly saw when hewas so small wasalso to shine throughin his ongoing basictraining where Samand the MedicalDetection Dogtrainers nurture hisbehaviour to bringout the best inBounce.

Sam, has takenBounce out-and-about wherevershe goes.Firstly out

and about in a puppy pouch (potentialsocialisers beware – Sam says to add atleast 10 minutes onto each activity whenyou do this, as members of the public liketo tickle the puppy and ask questions

about Medical Detection Dogs!), then on alead to supermarkets, events, church andlibraries. Bounce has gone to as manyplaces as Sam can think of to make surehe is un-phased with life, as you neverknow where he’ll need to go when he ispaired with his human companion lateron.

With the support of her children’s schoolSam has taken Bounce on the school runand into the mania which is a playgroundat the end of a school day. Bounce’s loveof supporting the children in his life hasn’tstopped there though. Every eveningBounce accompanies Sam on her night-time rounds to say goodnight to herchildren, checking that they’re all settledand ready for a good night’s sleep.

Bounce will work for anyone, well anyonewith food! His basic training coveringobedience and common commands hasgone well. He can be hard on himselfthough, and during a tough patch in histraining Sam said that she could see thatif he was getting frustrated with what hewanted to do then he would give a littlebark. However with patience from Samand a never-phased attitude from Bouncehe is showing the makings of a tough, butsensitive pup who loves to please.

In the future Bounce will be paired with aclient with a complex medical condition ,so they can begin their potentially life-saving journey together.

Everyone involved with Bounce has highhopes for his future as a successfulMedical Alert Assistance Dog andKimberly in particular knows howimportant continued funding is so that sheand the team at Medical Detection Dogscan ‘use the latest, modern positivetraining methods’ to ensure success.

8 The Sniff

BounceMedical Alert Assistance Puppy

Photograph by Emma Jeffery

Medical Detection Dogs want to say a hugethank you to everyone who sponsors a dog

in some way“

”When you meet the petite, shiny, excitableand always happy Martha you’d neverguess the manner in which she came tobe a Bio-Detection dog in training forMedical Detection Dogs.

In February 2015 the team at MedicalDetection Dogs were contacted byCompany of Animals about a stray dog ofworking stock Cocker Spaniel origin whowas in desperate need. She had amicrochip, but unfortunately it wasunregistered, so she needed a place tocall home. On top of this she had a severeinfestation of mange which had strippedthe fur from almost all of her face, nose,legs and tail. The unmasked skin was verydelicate and regular treatment would beneeded if she were ever to regain hershimmering layer of black fur.

After being handed to MedicalDetection Dogs by Company ofAnimals, Martha met DebraChurch, who was to be hercarer for the next fivemonths. Debra used baby sleepsuits for Martha, to cover her soreand often itchy skin, butsometimes even the ‘cone ofshame’ was needed to protect herfrom itching the skin, or to preventMartha from licking the chemicalsrequired for the treatment of the mange.However throughout all of the thriceweekly bathing Martha remained resolutein her requirements - her need forcuddles, love and the opportunity to sniff.

Debra describes Martha as a little ‘diva’,but from nicking dirty socks, to being sokeen to get into the car that sometimesshe jumped into the car before the bootlid was even open, Debra knows that shewas only able to provide a ‘safe haven for[Martha] to recuperate with many canine friends and cuddles’ due to theongoing financial support from Companyof Animals and puppy sponsors like them.

Martha now lives with a foster familywhere the number of dogs outweighs thenumber of humans! David and his familyhave three working cockers and threespringers, as well as two dogs who arefamily pets. David said that he waswanting to help a charity when he heardabout the work of the Medical DetectionDogs and with that many dogs adding one

more was ‘no extra work’.

David has recently involved Martha in afundraising event within his company andthe staff were delighted to meet Marthaand were amazed by what she wastraining to do. David continues to supportMedical Detection Dogs, not only byproviding an ongoing home for Martha,but by continuing to raise awareness ofthe charity further afield.

Martha is three months into her basictraining and is learning to distinguishdifferent odours, including identifying a

specific target odour from otherdistraction odours. Once allocated to acancer detection project she will haveadditional training and ongoing support toparticipate in this potentially lifesavingwork.

Bio-Detection Manager, Rob Harriscurrently has 25 Bio-Detection dogs intraining. The dogs never ‘qualify’ as such,as this field of work has such a wide remitof odours and possibilities that the dogsare constantly learning and adapting toscents which humans haven’t been ableto detect, or even identify. He seesMedical Detection Dogs as a way of‘providing Martha with a secure future’ asMartha will be under the care of the Bio-Detection team for the whole of her life.

The Sniff9

MarthaCancer Detection Dog

Photograph by Emma Jeffery

10 The Sniff

However one thought links them all- giving these talented dogs thetraining and opportunity topotentially save a life, often with thesimple lift of a paw.

On a beautifully calm and sunnySaturday in July within the gardens ofWinslow Hall, near Milton Keynes,some of the volunteers, supporters,puppy socialisers, staff, the clientsand their amazing dogs cametogether to celebrate a successful yearand to say a big thank you toeveryone involved with the charity.The people I met were all positive,caring and friendly individuals whoshared an immense love of mans’best friend and the relationshipwhich can be fostered between dogsand humans. The canines in questionwere as varied as we humans can be,with black and golden Labradorssniffing alongside spaniels, poodlesand other breed mixes.

However, little did I know that bythe end of the afternoon the seriousside of the cause would be revealed

to us all in a calm, but quitedramatic fashion.

Val, Margaret, Di, Ann and Kate arefive fundraising ladies who callthemselves ‘Mad Prestwood’. Theyrun activities to raise funds forMedical Detection Dogs as well asother charities and they are alreadybooked to collect more funds byriding alongside Father Christmas inDecember! They like to know thatthey are helping to save lives, whilsthaving fun and making friends at thesame time. They have even raisedenough money to name a MedicalDetection Dog, a big black Labwhich they named after theirfavourite activity - ‘Quiz’. Theyenjoyed the Thank You party last yearand they were looking forward tohearing about the ongoing work aswell as having the opportunity tohand over a cheque from their latestfundraising efforts. They also gaveme the first warning that I wouldneed my tissues ready for thetestimonials later.

Jane and Ian Grant are first timepuppy socialisers and they seem to berelishing the challenge of takingRalph, a breeder donated showstandard Golden Labrador, to manydifferent places. At 15 months old,Ralph is going to start his sniff-training a little later than expected,due to his health coming first andhydrotherapy sessions proving useful.However, if Ralph is as adept at histraining as he is at raising awarenessof the charity with his sociablecharacter and handsome features, hewill go far! Ralph’s ‘work’ so far hasprompted his local food store to adoptMedical Detection Dogs as theircharity for the year, he has been toHenley Agricultural Show and whilston his way to see the poppies at theTower of London he has even donethat most difficult of tasks - makingsmiles appear on the faces of LondonUnderground commuters as he lay ontheir feet!

Yasmine Tornblad owns a veryspecial dog, Nano. Nano is a six year

With the simple lift of a pawWith the simple lift of a pawBy Claire Collier

The Sniff11

old miniature poodle who wasalready owned by Yasmine and whothree years ago began his training tobecome an allergy alert dog. Yasminetravels for her job and was oftenhospitalised after eating hidden nutsin her food. This could be aparticular problem in countrieswhere they use nut oils withinfoods. Nano alerts Yasmine to nutshidden in foods and traces of nuts inother places such as hotel rooms.Nano has given Yasmine so muchconfidence over her food choicesthat she tried something whichseems ordinary to most people, butfor Yasmine was ‘difficult to considerbecause it felt unfair’ before Nano’shelp – Yasmine and her husband Stuawelcomed twins into their family ayear ago.

Tom Borland, his wife Jan, hisdaughter Kate and her husbandAlbert became aware of MedicalDetection Dogs when Tom read an

article in the Milton Keynes Citizenabout their work. Tom wanted tobecome involved and after seeing ademonstration of the dogs at work,it reinforced his need to be part ofthe charity. Tom is one of a team ofvolunteers who cover many duties,

including being chief car parker at arecent event! All of the familyunderstand the empathy a dog canshow towards people, as they havesuffered from various illnesses andthey once owned a Golden Retrieverwho was very sensitive to Jan whenshe was in need. Kate especially likes‘to see how (the dog) enablespeople to live as they would like to’.

Once we moved into the marquee,we were delighted to see and hearhow the work of the MedicalDetection Dogs is changing anddeveloping as well as how it haschanged the lives of many people.Trustee Betsy Duncan-Smithwelcomed us and Dr Claire Guestgave an update on the highlights ofthe past year as well as telling usabout where the charity is headedfor the future.

Claire fronted a demonstration,showing a beautiful springer spanielnamed Sye detecting Amyl acetate, asmelly chemical, firstly in a mix of 1part per 20 million, then at anamazing 1 part per 50 million. Syewas also able to demonstrate whenthere was no amyl acetate in any ofthe samples presented to him. To putthis feat into context you need toknow that humans can smell this

thE Mad PrEStWood fivE

yaSMin and MEdiCal alErt aSSiStanCE dog nano With

faMily

JanE and ian With MEdiCal dEtECtion dog ralPh

Whether they get involved to keep themselves active, because they are dog

lovers, or even to potentially save the nhS money in the future, there are a whole

range of people with a whole range of reasons for volunteering their time to

Medical detection dogs.

A whole range of people with a whole range of reasons forvolunteering their time.

SyE dEtECting aMyl aCEtatE

12 The Sniff

chemical in 1 part per 500, butusually by 1 part per 1000 humansare unable to smell this chemical.This means that the dogs can smellthe chemical at 50 000 times smallerproportions than a human can.

Then came the need for the tissues –as predicted by the ‘Mad Prestwood’five! The client testimonialsintroduced us to Gemma and Polo, ayoung lady and her shiny black Labfriend, who alerts her when herblood sugars fall or rise above anagreed clinically relevant level, aswell as another diabetes partnershipClaudia and her dog, Alice.

Then we were introduced to Samand medical alert assistance dogCharlie. Sam has POTS, aneurological condition whichsometimes means that her heart andbrain do not communicate properly,leading to sudden blackouts. Charlieis the first of his kind alert dog, whosmells the changes which happenbefore Sam suffers a blackout. WithCharlie by her side Sam now knowswhen to stop and get herself into asafe position, in a safe place so theblackout cannot cause any otherinjuries or danger. This has led her tohave the confidence to get out of thehouse and even to attend a familywedding with only her daughter.

Then came the heart-stopping, jawdropping moment which made all ofthe work everyone does very clear. Wewere introduced to Chris, who hastype 1 Diabetes and many associatedcomplications from this. Whilst Chriswas standing on stage right, watchinghis wife Sam presenting the amazingwork of his beautiful alert assistancedog, Jade, there was a moment whichmade everyone in the audiencecollectively hold their breath. Jadeshuffled and turned her gaze to herowners’ eyes and after waiting for asecond she lifted her paw and gentlylaid it on his wrist. A calm, but veryclear message then passed from dogto owner, a signal that all was notquite right.

That moment was unforgettable – inthe midst of all of those people andSam telling Chris’ story, was thesilent motion of a loyal caninehelper indicating to her humancompanion.

Chris then sidled off stage to test hisblood sugar level – it was low atthree, and moments later he wasable to tuck into a sugary treat toraise his blood sugars. Potential crisisaverted, well done Jade!

I felt privileged that I had been ableto watch the purpose of our work inaction and to watch first-hand howthis talented and dedicated caninehad changed Chris’ life by givinghim the beginnings of a muchsought after freedom.

Our time together was concluded byMedical Detection Dogs AmbassadorLesley Nicol, star of Downton Abbey,taking to the stage to help

congratulate some of the volunteerswho work in many differentcapacities for the charity.

Overall I had a fabulous and eye-opening afternoon watching howthe staff, volunteers, clients and mostimportantly, these talented dogsinteract with love and care for eachother and for the charity. In thefuture, if I ever wonder that I’vechosen the right charity to volunteermy time to, I’ll remember thatdefining moment … the momentthat for the 457th time in only threemonths Jade saved Chris’ life, withthe simple lift of her paw.

JadE haS tUrnEd to ChriS JUSt BEforE ShE gavE hiM thE alErt

SaM and MEdiCal alErt aSSiStanCE dog CharliE gEMMa and MEdiCal alErt aSSiStanCE dog Polo

Who would have thought that walkingthrough the streets of London in thedead of night in your bra would haveled to my connection with talentedcanines?! When I did the Moonwalk,May 2015, I met Christina Bowdenfrom Medical Detection Dogs, one ofthe charities being supported on thenight. I was really impressed with thework they do. She told me how thesedog can alert their owners whensomething is happening to them – forinstance, a dog paired with someoneliving with type 1 diabetes, can detectwhether the owner’s blood sugar is lowor high, and alert them to test theirlevels. I was intrigued. I’d spent muchof my life around dogs and have threeof my own – all Labradors – orflabradors in Gracie’s case! Turns outChristina knew me from QVC andinvited me down to see what goes on.So the date was set for July 14th.

July 14th rolled around, and off I wentto visit their headquarters in MiltonKeynes, and while I was sitting there alovely lady called Carolyn who has livedwith type 1 diabetes for 30 years, hadan alert from her fabulous dog calledSimba. He made the weirdest noise I'veever heard a dog make, and it meant shehad to check her blood. Now Simba issupposed to alert Carolyn when herblood sugar is lower than five or higherthan 15. When she checked it, it was14.9. How amazing is that! I just knew Ihad to do something special.

Lo and behold, fate stepped in, as Isuddenly found myself in the middle ofa house move – I live on a countryestate that is historic and beautiful buttheir tied housing means they needcertain houses for the workers, and theirnew gamekeeper with his six dogs andtwo young children, needed one of thebiggest houses, so mine was earmarked.Funnily enough I’d spent two yearsplanning to move, putting plants intocontainers instead of the ground and soforth, so it was time. My kids hadmoved out and the other place was toobig so I began my de-clutter to

downsize into my little two up twodown, five minutes up the road. I had alot of stuff I needed to get rid of. So Ithought why not hold a small table topsale in the village hall next door, andmake a few hundred pounds.

Well! Not only did we raise around£1900 on the day, including teas and atombola and a sponsored ‘Bodyblade’session, we also ended up also holdingan online raffle with the best stuff a‘mega draw’ – we’re going to haveanother one at Christmas time! much ofwhich was donated from QVCcustomers and fellow presenters, one ortwo prizes were actually worth over£200! They entered online on a specialJust Giving page set up just for thepurpose. It was quite a crusade with somany people willing to help out. Alongwith private donations we topped£5000 and Christina contacted meafterwards about becoming apermanent ambassador and helping tospread the word. I was delighted.

Coincidentally, the same weekend of myTable Top sale, Medical Detection Dogswere all over the news. Theannouncement had just gone out aboutthe go ahead for the three year prostatecancer study, with the aim that it wouldeventually save the NHS a lot of moneypinning down the urine samples withcancer in. Dr Clare Guest and the teamappeared on TV, in the newspapers, onthe radio, and whenever I mentioned itto my friends they seemed keen to helpout. I had a penchant for pogs, (puppiesand dogs) as we call them! So it was amatch made in heaven. Plus there werea couple of things about me that theteam didn’t know.

Apart from growing up with dogs – mymum bred pedigree poodles – loads ofthem – and I bred three litters from myvarious labs whilst my kids weregrowing up. Now I have Gracie, Patchand Daisy – otherwise known as ‘FatDog, Old Dog and Escape Dog. Graciehas hip dysplasia so I couldn’t breedfrom her or Daisy (elbows) but at time

of writing, Gracie is undergoing a newtreatment for arthritis using stem cellsharvested from a fat pad they took fromher groin. One way to lose weight…lol. Seriously, I’m hopeful it will help. Asyou can tell, my dogs are an integralpart of my life, so you can imagine howmuch it hit home to me when I went tovisit the HQ.

I was also delighted to attend the firstMedical Bio-Detection conference inCambridge in September 2015. There Iheard again how key these animals areto so many of the owners and howsome countries – like Norway – alreadyuse canine detection to help spotprostate cancer alongside hospitals. If allthree of their dogs say it’s present thenthat sample is highlighted to thehospital, saving costs given that 25,000biopsies are done each year, but only5,000 turn out to be positive due to theerratic nature of the PSA results. That’swhat Siri, the lady in charge there, toldme over dinner in the 400 year olddining hall at Emmanuel College.

That night I sat for a long time withAnne Mills from Medical DetectionDogs, devising a plan to help raise lotsof money for a dramatic expansion, andI hope to bring you news of it over thecoming months. For more info aboutmy activities, do go to my websitewww.debbieflint.com and look on the‘my charity’ page, or follow me onFacebook or twitter (@debbieflint). Mycharity – I do like saying those words.I’ve never had that before. ThanksMedical Detection Dogs.

dEBBiE flint

Debbie FlintQVC Presenter, Author and Ambassadorfor Medical Detection Dogs

The Sniff13

Attending a ‘New Socialiser Trainingand Handling’ morning at MedicalDetection Dogs Great Horwoodheadquarters was fascinating — it’snot as easy as it looks, there’s somuch to think about — a bit likepatting your head and rubbing yourtummy all at the same time but itdidn’t seem to put these enthusiasticvolunteers off one little bit.

The PeopleI talked to Drew and Sam who hadpreviously socialised puppies forHearing Dogs — Sam’s mum has oneof their dogs, so they are familiar withthe requirements and have a workingcocker spaniel of their own. They’ve

been allocated Bounce, a sweet, black10-week-old Labrador whose ebullientnature lives up to the name given himby his sponsors, Milton Keynestrampoline company, Bounce UK.Though he’s still a baby he alreadyunderstands some of what’s requiredof him and is very well mannered.

Cathy has looked after brood bitchesfor Guide Dogs for many years —the current one now a family petsince she ‘retired’. Cathy’s kitchen,she tells me, has seen the birth ofmore than 60 puppies who she’sthen looked after for up to sixweeks, so as she puts it: “the househas scars!” She has volunteered for

holiday cover for Medical DetectionDogs. Peter and Peggy have had dogsfor around 40 years and have comealong to find out more, they have yetto be allocated a dog.

People volunteer for so many differentreasons, all good. The attendees todayare or are planning to be long orshort-term socialisers or taking thefirst step by providing holiday cover.This year the plan is to place 18 dogswith socialisers but this figure willincrease over subsequent years asMedical Detection Dogs provides evermore dogs to clients in need of alertassistance.

The TrainingMedical Detection Dogs has a nokennel policy so the dogs always livewith people and each staff trainer isallocated 12 dogs. Our trainers aimto produce flexible, well-roundeddogs that are used to varied routinesso that the dogs can fit to thelifestyle of the socialiser and henceto the lives of the clients with whomthey are eventually matched. It’s adelicate, complicated, instinctive andrewarding process very muchdictated by the nature of the dog.

Golden Labrador, Domino, forexample, (sponsored by a local well-known pizza company obviously) is,according to trainer Kimberly Cox,who’s in charge of this session, “alovely dog — the finished product;calm, quiet and easy.” Training isalways done with kindness andrewards, never with a raised voice,water spray or other deterrents. Thereward is food that comes out of thedaily allowance; socialisers are givenfeeding guidelines and advised notto feed from the dinner table toavoid begging in the future. Food issupplied and any extras strictly notreimbursed — no risk of overweightdogs here then.

Socialisers are also given a trainingmanual and a list of commands touse that are universal to trainers andclients so as not to confuse the dogs.Always putting safety first, the advice

14 The Sniff

Work in Progress

Ph

oto

gra

ph

by E

mm

a J

effe

ry

is to use car harness, crate, or dogguards in cars and to attend trainingclasses even before having a dogbecause it helps training staff to getto know you and aids confidence inhandling a dog. Any would besocialiser needs to be confident thatthe dog will come back if let off thelead. There is a demonstration ofputting on a head collar harness andan Medical Detection Dogs coat andvolunteers practice walking using aloose lead and gentle commands,also the slightly tricky technique ofstanding one foot on the (loose)lead while not in motion to keep thedog by their sides.

Kimberly tells us that as a generalguide exercise should last a minute perweek of age i.e. a 15-week-old puppygets 15 minutes. “There are,” she says,“no actual restrictions after puppy-hood but you shouldn’t give excessiveexercise. We want our dogs fit andhealthy but it is possible to wear a dogout mentally. Jogging or bicyclingwith a dog is not helpful as the clientmay well not be able to continue this,playing ball should be done inmoderation for the same reason — noball flingers. Always use commonsense in a picnic area, or when otherdogs or livestock are around and putyour dog on the lead.”

“At home dogs should not beallowed on sofas or beds as the clientmay not want this, dogs should be

able to go upstairs though andshould want to stay close to you. It’sa fine balance between encouragingthe dog to behave appropriately butnot discouraging the dog withnegative training — the dog couldeventually be with a client whomight be in bed when needing analert for a hypo for example and youdon’t want the dog to be frightenedto approach in this situation.”

It is surprising that puppies like littleBounce begin their training so earlybut Medical Detection Dogs trainersreckon they can spot potentialwithin the first 12 weeks of apuppy’s life — Bounce certainly hasit ‘in spades’. Those dogs that don’twill receive training that is not quiteso intensive or refined andeventually become the equallyamazing Bio Detection Dogs.

The Sniff15

Jan Shillum reports on the training of some of our newest recruits

l Volunteers can try ‘holiday cover’initially to see how they get on.

l Each socialiser is allocated a trainerwho is their first point of call.

l The folder issued to every socialiserhas training information plus allimportant phone numbers for vets,advice, any concerns etc.

l Medical Detection Dogs pays formileage, food and for anyequipment deemed necessary bythe trainers.

l You or your company can name aMedical Detection Dogs puppy for£2,000.

l Sponsoring one dog’s training costs£11,200.

If you would like to volunteer as aSocialiser, contactpam.jones@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Tel: 01296 655888

Useful information

Commission a portraitof your dog and help

Medical Detection Dogs

Bridget Wood has drawn this portrait of Cancer Detection Dog, Daisy.

Bridget bred Daisy who is owned and trained by Dr Claire Guest.

Bridget has previously undertaken commissions for theQueen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke andDuchess of Westminster, and the Rt. Hon Iain and

Mrs. Duncan Smith.

Having worked in the past on “Survival”, Anglia TV’swildlife documentary programmes and been a

photographer of weddings, children and newborn babiesat the Portland and St. Mary’s Lindo Wing, Bridget nowhas more time to concentrate on her pastel drawing in

her small studio in Kent.

Bridget is very kindly giving 20% of her profit to MedicalDetection Dogs.

for commissions.

Email: bridgetwood2011@gmail.com

16 The Sniff

Cancer Detection DogsDaisy Florin Jack Jobi

Kara Kim Kiwi Kizzy

Lizzie Lucy Martha Midas

Sooty Sye Teasel Ulric

The Sniff17

Midas, Daisy, Ulric, Lucy, Martha, Kim, Kiwi, Carrie and Florin, Jack, Jobi, Kara, Kizzy,

Lizzie, Sooty, Sye and Teasel are all working towards the early detection of cancer

which could save millions of lives!

To support research in to the early detection of cancer contact :anne.mills@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Our Cancer Detection Dogs are truly top dogtors

Medical detection dogs carries out ground-breaking

research to improve the early diagnosis of cancer and

other diseases using canine olfactory detection.

the Bio-detection team are currently working on

research studies into the detection of prostate, bladder

and kidney cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Some of the biggest killers in the UK.

one in two people born after 1960 will experience

cancer and sadly early detection rates in the UK are

amongst the worst in Europe.

if successful these projects will ultimately lead to the

earlier diagnosis of different cancers and the possibility

of saving thousands of lives.

our published successes lead to many new requests

for cancer projects from senior oncologists and

clinicians and we urgently need your help to assist with

the training and support costs for these amazing dogs.

the costs for each dog on a research project is £600

per month.

Which Cancer Detection Dog would you support?

18 The Sniff

Chris & JadeC L I E N T S T O R Y

Chris gardner was a typical

22 year old enjoying his job

as a hospital porter and in his

spare time playing basketball,

running and drinking with his

mates. then, with absolutely

no warning, he collapsed.

he awoke to find himself in

a&E with a diagnosis of type

1 diabetes. Understandably,

he thought his life was over!

The Sniff19

Since that dark day in 2005 Chrishas had more ambulance call outs,high dependency stays and A&Evisits than he can remember – allwith dangerously high or low bloodsugar levels. As if the diabetes itselfwas not enough, it has resulted innumerous other serious healthcomplications such as heart disease,retinopathy, dual incontinence and adisease that kills the nervous systemin his back, bladder, bowels, feetand knees. Chris is just one in ahandful of patients whose diabetesthe NHS can not get under control,despite an insulin pump, glucosemonitoring and various courses. Indesperation he enquired about a fullpancreas transplant but he wasrejected because of the severity ofhis diabetes and the very real riskthat he would not come round froman anaesthetic.

Deprived of any independence andunable even to play with his youngson, Chris felt he was existing ratherthan living. The future lookedshockingly black. But that wasbefore an amazing dog called Jadeburst into his life.

Chris’s wife Samantha heard aboutthe charity Medical Detection Dogsand filled in and sent off theapplication form. Fully prepared foryet more rejection, Chris wasdelighted to be invited for interviewand then thrilled to be placed at thetop of the waiting list for a dog,trained to alert him to a blood sugarchange. (One of the problems forChris is that he personallyexperiences no sensation of apotentially fatal change in sugarlevels so in life before Jade, healways needed an experiencedperson such as his wife with him todetect subtle changes in his facialexpression and way of speaking as warnings).

Just before Christmas 2014, camethe magical moment when Chris

met Jade. “As soon as she enteredthe room she came running up tome, sat in front of me and juststared at me. She wanted to play. Itwas an instant connection,” explainsChris. In that poignant moment,both man and dog seemed to knowthat their lives had changed forever,for the better.

Two year old yellow Labrador Jadewent to live with Chris, Samanthaand four year old Jayden. “Wehadn’t had a dog before so I foundit very hard at first – I didn’t wantto tell her what to do.” But thanksto Helen Marsden, assistance doginstructor, from Medical DetectionDogs and close friends, Chrislearned that dogs feel more securein having firm commands andunderstanding what is and is notallowed.

All owners like to think that theyexperience a unique bond withtheir dog but the deep partnershipbetween Jade and Chris is truly aweinspiring. She is utterly devoted toChris, as he is to her and one cannothelp feeling that this lovely dogunderstands how valuable her workis. Not many dogs regularly savetheir owner’s life hundreds oftimes! “Her attachment to me isphenomenal, she is always by myside. She sleeps beside my bed andeven when she is out running freeon a walk she prefers to keep by myside. Jade is trained to alert Chriswhen his blood sugar level dropsbelow 5 and she does this byplacing a paw on him if he is sittingdown and jumping up at him if heis standing up. Of course, there aretimes when she only wants to playwith him but he always tests hissugar level – just in case. In a threemonth period Jade alerted Chris456 times and his wife only had touse three hypokits (as opposed tomore than 12 a week before Jadearrived) when, despite Jade’s alerthis sugar dropped so fast he

couldn’t treat himself quicklyenough.

The difference Jade has made toChris is monumental. She has notjust saved his life but she has helpedhim regain his confidence andindependence and lead a life likeany other 32 year old husband andfather. From a bleak, dependentexistence when he could never goout on his own or be left alone he isstarting to enjoy the simplepleasures that most of us take forgranted - like going to the shops orhaving friends round while his wifegoes out. Recently, Chris, Samantha,Jayden and Jade took a short breakin Scarborough – just like any otherfamily. “It was lovely to see Jaderunning on the beach and in thesea, just being a dog.” Perhaps bestof all, Chris can now do all thethings that other fathers and sonsdo, like play football. And you canbe sure the ever-watchful Jade joinsin! (It is perhaps unfortunate thatthe names Jayden and Jade sound sosimilar: both come running whenone is called!).

For the first time in 10 years Chris isoptimistically looking to the future.“At the moment I am taking thingsslowly but steadily as my confidencegrows. I still struggle on bad days butmost days I try to cram in as much aspossible with my wife and son withtrips to the beach and museums. I’dlike to get back to work – perhapssomething in IT where an employerwill accept a dog.”

The transformation this loveable Labhas made to Chris Gardner’s life –and that of his wife and son – isoverwhelming. “I want to say amassive thank you to MedicalDetection Dogs. There aren’t enoughwords to describe how they havegiven me my life back. I can’timagine life without Jade and to behonest, I don’t know how we evermanaged without her. She is just so

I felt my life was over“ ”

20 The Sniff

amazing! She has made me realisewhat life is meant to be – lived tofull potential.”

And as if the arrival of Jade was notenough in itself, the icing on thecake was the recent news that theDuchess of Westminster has agreedto be her sponsor! “I wasgobsmacked when I heard – Icouldn’t believe it!” says Chris. “Iwas in the middle of shopping andI was so over-emotional thatSamantha had to take me back tothe car. It has really given me aterrific boost.” The Duchess said toChris, “Medical Detection Dogs is atruly remarkable charity and reallytouches my heart. I would love tohelp knowing what a difference oneof these remarkable dogs can maketo family life by giving comfort and security.”

Now Chris is looking forward tomeeting her soon to thank her inperson – and, you can be sure, Jadewill be on her very best behaviour!

Please donate yourinkjet cartridgeslaser cartridges

The Recycling Factorycollect and recycle over 8 million inkjet & tonercartridges each year andwhether you’ve got one, or hundreds of cartridges,they can help you torecycle them.

www.therecyclingfactory.com

Beauty in the Beast is a collection of jewellery and accessories recreated by

Anna Tham from pieces old and new. Her work is inspired by many of our most

fascinating and loved animals. On sale in support of Medical Detection Dogs.

Contact: annactham@gmail.com Visit: https://www.etsy.com/shop/annatham1

B e a u t y i n t h e B e a s t

Animal - Inspired Jewellery Recycle

I am delighted to help knowing the

considerable difference these dogs

can make to people’s lives

“

”

dUChESS of WEStMinStEr

Supporting Medical Detection Dogs by supplyingCollars and Leads for qualified dogs

Stylish contemporary dog accessories

www.oscarandhooch.com

The Sniff21

In the summer of 1942 rubble wasshipped from a devastated London toa site on Greenways Farm just to theSouth-East of the current home ofMedical Detection Dogs in GreatHorwood. The rubble was to becomethe hard-core base for new runwaysand roads which formed a RAFcamp – named RAF Little Horwood.The locals were primarily to see theflights of Wellington Bombers to andfrom the site, although Tomahawksand other planes were also in use onthe site.

Rita’s mother, Margaret, never got tosee what was going on in the RAFcamp, even though it was not farfrom her front door in the village ofGreat Horwood. However someonevery close to her was warmly invitedonto the base and even accompaniedthe pilots on their manoeuvres timeand time again.

Sally was a black dog of unknownmongrel status, with a similar lookto that of a small Lab cross. Sally wasMargaret’s companion, especiallysince her husband Leonard hadjoined the Army. Sally was loved bythe evacuees Margaret took into herhome as well as by the pilots whoworked at RAF Little Horwood.There were many evenings whenMargaret would answer the frontdoor to such pilots, who wishedSally to accompany them that night.

RAF Little Horwood was used as abase for the day and night-timetraining of pilots for bombingmissions and for ‘Nickelling’, wherepropaganda leaflets are dropped overFrance. Sally became an unofficialmascot for many of the pilotsworking there, although we willnever know how many flights Sallytook and to where in the world they

led her. All we know for definite isthat Margaret was always pleasedwhen she got up in the morning tofind Sally fast asleep in her kennel,knowing that she and the pilots shehad flown with must have returnedsafe and sound.

After the war RAF Little Horwood’slast flight was on 30th November1945 and the site was last used inJanuary 1946. While in Sally’s worldshe welcomed the master of thehouse, Rita’s father Leonard, backfrom the war. The little ‘docile oldlady’ that Rita and her brother, Ivorgrew up with lived on to an old ageof 14, having kept her wartimesecrets hidden from all.

Hidden HistoryBy Claire Collier

So much of our history has been lost or forgotten

over the years. However Rita Essam, a volunteer and

dog fosterer at Medical Detection Dogs recalls a

wartime canine link to the site the Medical Detection

Dog centre now occupies at Great Horwood.

rita'S BrothEr ivor With Sally

viCKErS WEllington MK2

22 The Sniff

In September, Medical Detection Dogshosted the Inaugural InternationalConference on Medical Bio Detection atEmmanuel College, Cambridge. Over two days, 95 delegates, scientists,researchers and animal behaviouristsfrom around the world gathered toshare ground-breaking ideas on theearly detection and management ofhuman disease.

Nine presentations offered a fascinatinginsight into the work currently takingplace around the world.

Co-founder of Medical Detection Dogs,Dr John Church opened the symposiumwith an engaging presentation on thecomplexities of nature and the potentialof medical bio-therapy – where insectsand mammals have equal scientific valueto machines. From nematodes to leeches,scavenger fish to maggots, bees to rats,and not forgetting the humble canine,this medical bio-detection is unchartedterritory.

Dr Claire Guest, CEO of MedicalDetection Dogs, UK delivered aninspirational talk detailing the work ofthe charity. Dr Guest highlighted theimportance of good clinical practice toprovide evidence-based research, andreiterated that it is the integrity of suchdata that is finally silencing the scepticsand winning support from theclinicians and key NHS stakeholders.Several respected research bodies, froma range of clinical areas, have expressedan interest in collaborating with MedicalDetection Dogs in new studies. Projectscurrently undergoing ethical approvalinclude studies of human lung cancer,ovarian cancer, Parkinson’s disease,colorectal cancer, and canine cancer.Further studies on human urinary tract

infection, bacterial versus viralinfections, dementia, and infectioncaused by the bacterium Pseudomonasare under discussion.

Despite the environmental challenges ofworking with dogs in a crowded lecturetheatre, cancer detection dogs Midasand Lucy wowed the audience with alive demonstration. Witnessing firsthand as the dogs work the carouselnever fails to amaze the audience, andthere was an audible gasp from somedelegates as each dog sat to indicate thepresence of a positive result (i.e. diseasepresent) amongst the various samplesbeing screened.

Serious science aside, an exuberant dogcombined with a slippery wooden floorstill makes for some light entertainment!

Dr Christian Mulder had travelled fromBelgium to share the work of theinternational organisation Apopo, whotrain rats to save lives. As head of theTuberculosis Department, Dr Mulder’sdetailed insight into the workingpractise of the trained giant African ratwas genuinely fascinating.

While perhaps not regarded as beingquite as cuddly as our canineequivalents, we discovered thesespecialist sniffers are equally as accurate,fast and cost-effective in their ability toseek out volatile organic compoundsfrom human sputum samples. Unlikethe work in cancer detection, the smellof the tuberculosis bug (calledmycobacterium tuberculosis) is definedfrom a known pattern of volatileorganic compounds.

Importantly, the Apopo rats are alreadyengaged in successful secondaryscreening programmes for tuberculosis

in Tanzania, and are saving human livesnow.

The complexities of decoding cancerwas an absorbing subject, and wasexplained with clarity by Professor MelGreves from The Institute of CancerResearch, UK. The audience was totallyengaged as we were methodically takenthrough the natural history of cancer,from a single mutated cell, to fullmetastasis. The challenge, as ProfessorGreves explained, is identifying atwhich stage in this progression theanimals are detecting the disease.

We learned that every cancer patient hasa genetically unique disease, as themutational changes in affected cells alterthe DNA sequence, and that cancerswork in an “ecosystem”, as well as theimportance of “driver” cells, and therole of founding clones in the speed andcomplexity of mutations. This allemphasised the need for monitoring tocatch early disease and, hopefully,improve prognosis.

The next topic concernednanotechnology, with a presentation byProfessor Russell Cowburn from theUniversity of Cambridge, UK.Wediscussed materials that were far smallerthan a pin head – with dimensionssomewhere between the size of a redblood cell and an atom. Crucially,materials adopt different propertiesdown at this size. It is hoped that byaccessing these propertiesnanotechnology will help to determinethe exact chemical composition of thevolatile organic compounds that areassociated with different cancers. Severalareas of nanotechnology were identifiedas of potential interest for MedicalDetection Dogs (microfluidics,

World Class Canines

The Sniff23

magnetic nanoparticles, CMOSbiosensors, and quartz crystalmicrobalance).

These methods of measuring particlescould eventually lead to better, cheaper,smarter, and cleaner diagnostic products– ultimately creating the “electronicnose”.

Dr Cynthia Otto from the School ofVeterinary Medicine, University ofPennsylvania, USA, shared herexperiences on the methods andchallenges of canine detection ofovarian cancer via screening bloodplasma samples. Interestingly, Dr Ottomeasured the effect of a dog’s physicalactivity before it started working on thescreening samples, and the resultssuggested that the dogs gave highersensitivity results before lunch. Dr Ottoalso observed when the dogs’ used theirwater bowl, possibly to cleanse theirpalettes.

Mo Mauer and Erin Jasper fromAssistance Dogs Hawaii, USA, spoke indetail about the canine detection ofurinary tract infections. Their study wasborne out of observing dogs that werealready working as partnered assistancedogs to people with neurological/spinalinjury, where two dogs spontaneouslyalerted the presence of a urinary tractinfection. As the usual warning signs forurinary tract infection are often absentin people with paralysis, infection canquickly spread into the kidneys, or mayenter the bloodstream (called sepsis),and persistent or recurrent urinary tractinfection can increase the risk ofbladder cancer.

Dr Fabio Grizzi and Dr Gian LuigiTaverna from the Humanitas Clinicaland Research Centre, Milan, Italy,addressed the conference on their studyto investigate canine detection ofhuman prostate cancer by screeningurine samples. Their report (titled“Olfactory System of Highly TrainedDogs Detects Prostate Cancer in UrineSamples”) was published earlier in2015 and, after reading about the highsensitivity and specificity ratesdescribed, it was most interesting to seethe video clips of these dogs in actionand hear Dr Grizzi in person.

Dr Carola Fischer-Tenagen from theUniversity of Berlin, Germany, gave a

spirited, considered and, at times,amusing review on the challenges oftraining dogs to detect bovine (cow)ovulation from saliva. As a bovinepractitioner with a keen interest insearch and rescue dogs, Dr Fischer-Tenagen was seeking an effectivemethod that could identify the smalltime window that occurred in which toinseminate a herd of cows. However, itturned out that the practical challengesof bringing dogs into a working dairyfarm were considerable.

Dr Fischer-Tenagen echoed the commonissue across all of the studies discussed:we know the dogs are detecting“something”, but we don’t yet know itsidentity or chemical structure.

Susana Soares, a UK designer, explorescollaborative frameworks betweendesign and emerging scientific research.Ms Soares entertained delegates with apresentation on the scientific potentialof bees in the detection of humandisease. Ms Soares explained that a bee’santenna has 170 odour receptors, andgave details of how a bee could betrained to produce a Pavlovian responseto a particular scent in around 10minutes. Some visually intriguinginterlinked glass chambers were used todemonstrate this novel concept.

Dr Clara Manchini from the OpenUniversity, UK, demonstrated work on anew canine interface, assisted by caninemembers of Medical Detection Dogs.

Dr Manchini’s team are collaboratingwith Medical Detection Dogs todevelop equipment used during thepractical screening of human samples.The aim is to determine how confidenta dog is when it is indicating the

presence of a positive sample. Thecurrent system only allows for a “yes”or “no” response from a dog. However,via use of special pressure plates, thisnew research is investigating whether adog can produce different degreeswhen signalling, without disruptingthe screening process. Dr Manchiniexplained that each dog differs in theirengagement with the pressure plate. Asthe intensity of each dog’s response isdigitally recorded as a graph, the shapeof the graph reflects how confident thedog is in their response.

Assessing more nuanced responsesshould increase the reliabilityassociated with dogs’ responses. The next step for the team is to develop a system to analyse thestatistical information produced duringthe study.

Lead Paediatric Diabetes SpecialistNurse, Claire Pesterfield, fromCambridge University Hospitals NHSFoundation Trust, UK, spoke withpassion and humour on the value ofMedical Alert Assistance Dogs. Thesedogs have a tremendously positiveeffect on the client and their family,producing both physical andpsychological improvements.

Oliver Gould from the University ofthe West of England eloquentlysummarised the research of canineolfactory differentiation of cancer witha review of key research papers.

This most valuable review of currentevidence based research summarisedthe challenges faced by researchers inthis field and gave food for thought ofways to improve the credibility andreproducibility of results in the future.

Ali Clarke reports on the Inaugural International Conference onMedical Bio Detection at Emmanuel College, Cambridge

“It was so important for us to get together and share our

knowledge and experience – everyone has been working in

their own bubble. The Bio Medical Group now has a steering

committee that will facilitate world group engagement which

undoubtedly will improve problem solving, promote better

research and enable further defined progress. It is a huge step

toward our search for faster, reliably accurate method for the

early diagnosis of cancers.”

Dr Guest, Chief Executive and director of operations

24 The Sniff

Archie & DominoC L I E N T S T O R Y

You’d be forgiven forthinking that this wasjust another happy,healthy child with hisfour legged companion.But you’d be wrongbecause the little boyhas diabetes and the doghis lifesaver.

The Sniff25

A long-awaited only child, Archiestarted drinking enormous quantitiesof milk and water at 11 months; twomonths later he was diagnosed withdiabetes. It was a devastating shock forhis parents, Jayne and Bill Dawson andin that instant, their lives changedforever. Jayne gave up her job as afinance consultant, re-training as ayoga teacher while Bill decided to bea full time father. Their lives revolvedround their sick child and as the yearspassed, they struggled on feeling veryalone and scared. Archie would hypoevery night which meant little sleepfor his parents, and they would worryabout things like the insulin pensgiving him too much and as a twoyear old toddler thinking he had eatenwhen he hadn’t.

One day Bill’s mother read aboutMedical Detection Dogs and from thatday, all their lives changed for thebetter. They were warned that it wouldbe a long, slow process because Archiewas so young but that eventually hewould receive a dog. In February2015 Archie was matched withDomino, a two year old Labrador andafter a 10 day home visit, he became apermanent member of the Dawsonfamily. Bill had grown up with dogsbut Jayne had not and was in factquite nervous of them after a badexperience when she was young. Shesays, “Not knowing about dogs was abit scary and I never realised howmuch hard work is involved – intrusting a dog. But Domino was justwonderful. He’s not a dog, he’s a littleperson, like another child, like he’salways been there. He is so much apart of the family unit now.”

Domino has transformed the lives ofBill and Jayne and, most importantly,Archie. “Because Archie wasdiagnosed so young, we don’t knowlife without diabetes,” explains Jayne.“Before Domino we were in a void,we never knew where to turn, wewere unsettled. He has broughtsunshine into our lives – he is the lastpiece of the jigsaw. Now we are

sleeping more, relaxing and feelinglike a whole family. Before, we neverliked to plan or think ahead but nowwe can see a beautiful future.”

Archie tells his mum that she cannotunderstand what it is like to be him –but Domino does. This young dog hasgiven him confidence andindependence and everyone hasnoticed the difference, even in just afew months. At one time he didn’twant to go to sleep for fear of notwaking up, but now he sleeps like anyother seven year old, albeit with a dogbeside his head! He is happy now toeat different foods and make newfriends. Every morning, Archie bikesto school with Jayne and Dominorunning to keep up. At the momentDomino does not stay in school asArchie has a full time carer to checkhis bloods every hour. Also, it is feltthat Domino’s most important work isat night and as he is still in training,working a 24 hour day might be toomuch for him. After school, Dominosits on the touchline while Archieplays rugby or tennis; the latter isagony for him as he adores tennis ballsbut manages to show great self controlin leaving them alone! “We call themthe Dynamic Duo,” laughs Jayne.

Before Domino, Archie would notleave the room without one or both of

his parents. Now he plays happily inhis bedroom and Jayne and Bill canhear him chattering away to Dominoor even reading to him. Although he isso young, Archie understands fullythat Domino is there to save his lifeand he has proved his worth with1,300 alerts since his arrival in July.When Archie is really low, Dominowill jump up and down and if hethinks the message is not gettingthrough he either barks or stands andstares intently. “He is priceless,” saysJayne, “ and the physical andemotional effect he has had on Archieis better than any medicine. Thanks toDomino, Archie has a better quality oflife than we ever imagined. ” Dominodoes his job wherever they go – evensettling down to watch the film at thecinema. “Everybody adores him,” saysJayne.” He knows he’s handsome –he’s a right little diva!”

But the last words must go to a bravelittle boy: “Domino is lovely, he’s cuteand fluffy. He is my best buddy and hehelps me feel safe. If I’m not well he’lltell Mummy and Daddy and I won’thave to go to hospital. I can eat, go tobed and feel safe and happy.” Just likeany other seven year old who runsand plays and giggles on the beachwith his very best friend…

Before Domino we were in a void“ ”

doMino and ME By arChiE

26 The Sniff

Heather Shute is one of the nicestand most inspirational individuals Ihave had the pleasure of meeting, inmy role as Volunteer Co-Ordinatorfor Medical Detection Dogs.

Heather heads up our Oxon andCotswold Regional Fund Raisinggroup and regularly banks £1000 amonth from their activities.

Heather’s involvement with thecharity dates back to 2008 whenMedical Detection Dogs wasfounded. Having a long history offund raising for Hearing Dogs forDeaf People Heather was familiarwith our founder Dr Claire Guestand was impressed by herinspirational leadership and personaldetermination. Heather tells me itwas an easy decision for her totransfer as a volunteer to MedicalDetection Dogs and a very successfulpartnership evolved.

The Oxon and Cotswold group has acore of six individuals who can berelied upon to turn out in allweathers to support the Charity. Theyare supported by a wider group ofup to 30 individuals, some of whommay only be able to support oneevent a year. Heather knows each ofher volunteers and which activitiesthey enjoy and will only invite themto relevant events meaning everyone

enjoys what they do and are moreinclined to participate in the future.

When asked about the secret of heramazing success Heather isextremely modest and it falls toother members of the Oxon andCotswold group to say that Heatherhas an amazing determination anddrive. As soon as one event issuccessfully completed andparticipants thanked, Heather isalready planning the next event. Thegroup tell me it is impossible not tobe swept along with her amazingenthusiasm and infectious goodhumour and I would agree. TheOxon group arranges at least oneevent a month which might be atraditional street collection orperhaps one of Heather’s muchappreciated pudding evenings or allday coffee mornings. Heathers groupalso arranges a large number of talksto local groups which helps to raise,awareness of the charity and muchneeded funds.

Heather and her group raised thefunds to sponsor a medical alertassistance dog. The puppy wasnamed Magic and trained as adiabetic alert dog – and is partneredwith Claire Moon in 2013.

To mark her 70th birthday Heathercelebrated with a daring sponsoredrock abseil in Derbyshire, with herson Joe, raising more than £1000. In2014 Heather took part in theSwanbourne Endeavour a 5kmchallenge through obstaclesincluding mud, water and 12 volthanging electricity cords!

In 2015 Heather’s volunteeringachievements were recognised withthe award of the British EmpireMedal. To date she has raised anamazing £65,000 for MedicalDetection Dogs.

Heather says ‘it is a real privilege’ tobe part of Medical Detection Dogsand loves visiting the Centre at GreatHorwood finding it inspirationaland motivational.

Shute for the Moon

hEathEr ShUtE BEM

hEathEr ShUtE (lEft) at thE SWanBoUrnE EndEavoUr

Dawn Taylor, Volunteer Coordinator talks about one of her special volunteers Heather Shute

ClairE and MEdiCal alErt aSSiStanCE dog MagiC

The Sniff27

When TV presenter Kate Humble,best known for hosting wildlifeprogrammes such as Springwatch,Countryfile and Lambing Live, firstvisited the Medical Detection Dogscentre in May 2015, she was “utterlyblown away” by what she saw andhad no hesitation in becoming anambassador for the charity. “DrClaire Guest's story is incredible,”she said later, “and her unshakeablebelief in what she is doing and howshe and her team are continuing topush boundaries and defy scepticismleft me in awe!”

And just a couple of short monthslater, Kate was able to make a hugedifference to the charity’s bottom

line, winning a staggering £26,000on the Channel 4 quiz showCelebrity Fifteen to One – thehighest amount ever won for acharity on the programme.

You might be forgiven for thinkingthat someone who has travelledacross the Middle East, lived withnomads, and descended to thebottom of the sea in search of sharks(to mention just a few of theexperiences Kate has grappled within her day job) would be unfazed bya mere quiz show – even onefrequently referred to as thetoughest on television. However,going head to head with the likes ofKen Livingstone and Meera Syal, in

front of a studio audience, wasdaunting – so much so that Kate,who opted for travelling instead ofuniversity, told presenter Adam Hillsthat she couldn’t have been morenervous had she got a double first!

The format of the show is simple.Fifteen contestants are given threelives each; if they answer a questionincorrectly, they lose a life; if theylose all three lives, they areeliminated. The last man (orwoman) standing is then asked aseries of questions, clocking upprize money for their chosen charitywith each right answer.

Halfway through the show, thingsweren’t looking good for Kate.Having already lost two lives, shewas nominated to answer the nextquestion: in what European citywere film director Roman Polanskiand actress Emma Watson born?Knowing this was make or break andthat a wrong answer would put herout of the show, Kate took theplunge and said Paris. The rightanswer!

And from then on there was nostopping her as she proceeded tonominate (and dispense with) astring of other contestants, finallytaking home a windfall for MedicalDetection Dogs.

And this donation couldn’t havecome at a better time, with thecharity preparing to embark on theworld’s largest ever prostate cancertrial using dogs. The work has thepotential to be truly groundbreaking in the detection of prostatecancer, for which current diagnostictesting is extremely unreliable, andalso represents a huge breakthroughin overcoming the scepticism of themedical establishment.

To give the final word to Kate: “Ifdogs are able to detect cancerthrough the power of theirincredible sense of smell – and allthe research to date suggests theycan – who are we to turn our nosesup at it?”

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28 The Sniff

I had always harboured the desire tocycle from one end of the UK to theother in my personal list of challengesbut not possessed the type of roadbike to accomplish it. In May 2014that changed when I bought a carboncomposite road bike and startedtraining. I had really caught the bug ofroad biking and soon began to turnmy thoughts to cycling the “End toEnd”. Funnily enough, the mostdifficult decisions were whichdirection, Land’s End to John o’Groats(LEJOG) or vice versa, and over howmany days? I researched it online andfound there were advantages anddisadvantages to both routes. In theend, I decided to do the John o’Groatsto Land’s End (JOGLE) option therebygetting the long drive to the northScotland out of the way at the start butaccepting the challenge of battling theprevailing south westerly winds. I alsoconcluded that 12 days should presenta sufficient challenge to avoid it beinga physical torture but also allow forextra capacity to see the sights alongthe way. Fortunately, my wife Elaine,17 year old daughter Phoebe and ourBorder Collie Floss, volunteered tosupport me from our mobile home.Additionally, my friend Peter Haywardagreed to cycle with me for the firstfour days and the last three. The planwas hatched! We decided it would bean excellent opportunity to raisemoney for charity. Having had theprivilege of attending a presentation

evening explaining the phenomenalwork of the Medical Detection Dogscharity we decided to support thisvery worthy cause.

I ramped up my training steadily overthe following year, eventually cyclingaround 750 miles a month withoccasional consecutive day long ridesbetween 70 and 90 miles to replicatewhat I would face. Although I had abackground of over 30 years of long-distance running this was newterritory and I was surprisinglyapprehensive. Armed with key advicefrom seasoned cyclists such aspurchasing really high quality cyclingshorts and attendant chamois creamplus trying to relax on the handlebarsover the countless long miles, I soonbegan to relish the challenge. Near theend of my training, my wife suggestedsomething which was to proveprophetic. Wouldn’t it be wise to trainsome days in the rain? Hitherto, I hadtimed my rides to avoid getting wetwherever possible but I agreedreluctantly that that would be sensibleand duly searched out the downpours.

August arrived and at last the challengebeckoned. We drove up to John o’Groatsin the mobile home with a mixture ofexcitement and trepidation. It nowdawned on me that it really was a longway to Land’s End. However, the 6,000miles and 268,000 feet of ascent that Ihad done in training with my road bikenow provided ample motivation for meto get on my way! I had already toldseveral people that there was no goingback especially as I had already achieved75% of my fund-raising target and I was

not in the business of giving refunds.My wife and daughter were alreadyenthusiastically searching out donationsfrom tourists that carelessly got tooclose to our little group at the famousJohn o’Groats signpost.

Peter and I waved a cheerful farewelland set off due south. The road climbedaway from the coast and I felt full ofenergy and was now very keen to geton with it. The smell of sea air mixedwith that of the peat from thesurrounding moors was exhilaratingand it felt really good to hear thewheels drumming on the road andwatch the pedals turn overrhythmically. There were few trees inthis far-flung northern reach of themainland but passing interest ofisolated crofts, farms and small villages.Soon the North Sea came into view onour left side and after passing throughWick we encountered the first fewhills. All was fine until we hit the firsttwo serious hills at Dunbeath andBerriedale. The latter, a concerted longhill at 13% gradient was a serious testand soon we were in the lowest gearand grinding our way up. Thechallenge had begun in earnest. Thetrick was to change down early andavoid getting into either oxygen debtor lactic acid cramp by steady pedallingrather than throwing the kitchen sinkat it from the start and disintegratingpart way up. I was relieved that Ireached the top without getting off andpushing my bike. When we reached theidyllic coastal camp site at Dornoch wewere both elated and relieved, with 80miles and 3,700 feet of ascent, thecobwebs had truly been dusted off.

A Tale of a Very Long Bike RideBy John Scholtens

The Sniff29

The next day all changed – theweather was despicable. Driving rain,brisk wind and mist – welcome toScotland! On with the cagoule andback in the saddle to tackle theelements as well as the distance.Fortunately, the weather eased by theafternoon and glorious scenery tookover, bolstering our renewedenthusiasm. The motor home cameinto view as we reached Loch Nessand with it a welcome routine ofextravagant lunches to recharge theenergy reserves. The challenge wasreally underway and after lunch wesped along the shores of Loch Nesscasting occasional furtive glancesacross the water for Nessie beforereaching Fort Augustus in glorioussunshine for our overnight stop.

The next two days in beautiful weathersped by with the Glencoe section thehighlight of the whole trip. Then theelements decided to throw almosteverything at me as I cycled throughLancashire. I was cycling on my ownfor five days and was subjected to gustyheadwinds and a proverbial deluge. The long climb over the Shap hillsapped my strength and I gritted myteeth as my head dropped and Ifocussed on the road passing beneathmy wheels. Fortunately, the mobilehome with its warmth and deliciouslunches picked up my flagging spirits.The beauty of the welsh bordersproved a tonic over the next two daysbefore I reached Bath.

Now came the biggest day, clockingalmost 93 miles and 5,300 feet ofascent but with only three days to thefinish and with Peter re-joining me toprovide welcome moral support, thefinish was almost in sight. Now camethe sting in the tail as the Devon andCornwall roller coaster threw 8,200feet of climbing at us coupled withstrong headwinds and driving rain. Iconsoled myself with the thought thatit wouldn’t be fun if it was too easyand dug in. Avoiding the potentiallydangerous A30 was a route-findingchallenge and we duly found ourselvesfollowing the exposed north coast ofCornwall. On one monumentally hardsection on the last day Peter asked mequizzically what speed we were doing.I glanced down at my Garmin

computer and replied “6 mph” andback came the repost, “we will take allof today and tomorrow at this pace”!Fortunately, as we got closer to Land’sEnd the elements eased a little andoccasional hedgerows and stone wallsprovided us shelter. Thankfully, the lasttwo miles were trending downhill. Wehad however managed to get ahead ofour support who were battling trafficjams and end of the working daytraffic, so we stopped just short ofLand’s End, contemplated the JOGLEachievement and savoured the scene.Then came the cruise to the famousLand’s End signpost with unbelievableelation mixed with relief. It surely is a

b*****y long way with only twowheels on your wagon from one endof the UK mainland to the other. I haddone it! The many visitors to thelandmark were ever so generous anddonated to commemorate my feat inour collecting pots. Our overalldonation total had now reachedalmost £1,300 which exceeded my£1,000 target and made me veryhappy indeed. 970 miles in 12 daysand I am proud of the fact that I nevergot off my bike on any hill provingthat there is still life in the 60 year olddog even if my sense of smell is not asacute as it was. A superb challenge fora most worthy charity – job done.

It surely is a b*****y long way with only 2 wheels on your wagon“

”

30 The Sniff

Whether you are an experiencedathlete, cyclist or trekker, or anovice, there is something foreveryone. Gordon Moore fromPottersbury has run half and fullmarathons before, but neverattempted anything as ambitious asthe 100k he signed up for. TheGrand Union Challenge took place atthe end of June, with the start line inPaddington, London and ended upin Bletchley. Having the finishingline so close to home was a bigattraction for Gordon as he knew hewouldn’t have far to stagger for ahot shower!

The route followed the Grand UnionCanal and offered options of walking,jogging or running either 25k, 50k or100k. Gordon chose the toughest ofthese ... to run. The partnership offundraising whilst trying somethingnew is a potent one, and Gordondescribes running the 100k as “theultimate running challenge”. It was achance conversation with a MedicalDetection Dogs’ fundraiser that led tohis commitment, and getting involvedin the event was the easy bit forGordon. Unsurprisingly, Gordondescribes devising a trainingprogramme as demanding.

“The main issue was that a longtraining run of 30 miles plus can take five hours and it’s difficult to find time.”

He feels he did not train as often ashe would like, but possibly only MoFarah would have this luxury! Bysetting himself realistic goals ofbreaking the race down into 10-15km sections with short recoverytimes he designed a manageabletraining schedule.

Dehydration is the runner’s enemy, andthe race day weather was hot andsunny which posed additionalchallenges. Gordon still completed theevent in a hugely impressive 15 hoursand 1 minute. He also raised£2,020.50 for Medical Detection Dogs.

Although to some, running 100kmight seem a form of torture,Gordon describes the comradeshipand support from fellow runners asbeing one of the best bits. Afterbonding with another athlete overblisters and sharing blister patches,he ended up running alongside herfor the majority of the race.

“Without Lucy I am not sure Iwould have finished. When I got lowshe helped me and vice versa”.

Gordon is committed to enteringmore events for Medical DetectionDogs, although he is confident hewill not be attempting another 100krun! Perhaps he could try the walknext time!

Back to that job application, it isworth remembering that as MedicalDetection Dogs seek to achieve newgoals, attributes such asdetermination and resolve arecrucial. Team building andpartnerships between handlers,trainers, owners and dogs are skillswhich make our charity the successit is, and taking part in a ChallengeEvent epitomises the ethos ofMedical Detection Dogs.

Go on ..... have a go!

To find out more, take a look at theChallenge Event page on ourwebsite. medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Accept the Challenge!Achieving new goals, team building, embracing different

experiences .... these sound like buzz words for a job

application. Don’t be deceived; Challenge Events give

everyone the opportunity to realise all these goals, at the

same time as raising money for Medical Detection Dogs.

gordon MEEting MaC

Raise funds for Medical Detection Dogs bydonating good quality, reusable and clean clothing!When you’re ready Clothes For Charity will collectfrom your home or workplace!Request a bag at: www.clothesforcharity.org.uk/charities/medical-detection-dogs

Xchange Master is proud to work with manycharities in the UK to provide them with newand innovative ways of generating revenue.

To request pre-paid envelopes for stamps (orcoin collection packs) please email:mddogs@xchange-master.co.uk

Or call Xchange Master on 0141 328 9357

Recycle your stampsand coins!

Giveacar is a not-for-profit social enterprisethat can turn your old car into cash for MedicalDetection Dogs. Giveacar will arrange freecollection, then either sell your car at auction orscrap it with the proceeds raised coming to us.

Please visit www.giveacar.co.uk

The Sniff31

A selection of Challenge Events for 2016

Walk the beautiful South Downs and West Sussexcountryside, starting and finishing from GoodwoodRacecourse near Chichester, all the routes are circular!Join this scenic walk to raise money for MedicalDetection Dogs.Choose a challenge distance to suit your fitness levelor goal - 10km, 20km, NEW 30km, 40km or the BIG60km! There really is something for everyone.They are also doing a Twilight 10km Just Walk route.Just Walk starts and finishes from the dramaticbackdrop of Goodwood Racecourse, near Chichester inWest Sussex. All of the routes are circular, and take onthe rolling hills and landscape of the West SussexCountryside including sections of the South DownsNational Trail on most routes.

Booking and information visit:www.acrossthedivide.com

Just Walk7th May 2016

Join us as we cycle for charity 270 miles, in 3 countriesto 3 capitals – London, Amsterdam and Brussels.An exciting charity cycle combined with breathtakingcity sights make this a European charity challengeextravaganza! This superb charity bike ride caters forevery level of cyclist. One of our newest fundraisingevents will see us cover approximately 270 miles with4 days in the saddle, and takes in the rollingcountryside of Essex, the plains of Holland and thesleepy lanes of Belgium. Join us for one of the bestcycling challenge experiences in Europe!

Booking and information visit:www.globaladventurechallenges.com

Euro City Cycle11-15th May 2016

This unique cycle challenge is set to be the mostexciting cycling opportunity yet! The Roubaix Challengeis a fantastic 155 mile bike ride for charity, over twodays from London to the beautiful town of Lille inNorthern France. Lille is very close to the town ofRoubaix, most famous for its epic pro cycle race, theParis-Roubaix.After your two day challenge to Lille, on Day 3 youhave the option of taking part in the ‘Paris-RoubaixChallenge'; one day before the professional race,amateur cyclists can sign up to ride on the same routeas the Paris-Roubaix elite cyclists.The ride will offer some of the same cobbled sectionsthat professionals face the next day and you canchoose between three distances:163km (approximate distance)139km (approximate distance)70km (approximate distance)After completing your chosen route and after a well-earned rest, on Day 4 you are free to watch the prosride and cheer your favourite riders as they race alongthe infamous pavés that you took on yourself the daybefore! This is always an exciting race as Paris-Roubaix remains one of the most memorable classics.

Booking and information visit:www.globaladventurechallenges.com

The Roubaix Challenge7th - 11th April 2016

Cycle 50 miles with a throng of like-minded cyclists,along the twists and turns of the streets of Edinburgh onour Night Ride – lit by the moon and lights of the city.Taking in the iconic sights of this beautiful city –Arthur’s Seat, The Castle, The Forth Bridges – ourroute has stunning night views of the city.This is a rare chance to explore the nooks andcrannies of the Scottish capital at a time when muchof the traffic has abated – enjoy the tranquillity of theGeorgian streets as we pass through in the moonlight.

Jump on your bike and let’s get cycling!

Booking and information visit:www.edinburgh-nightride.com

Edinburgh Night Ride18-19th June 2016

Run the worlds greatest route! Take part in an iconic10k run whilst supporting Medical Detection Dogs andtake in some of London's fantastic scenery on route!We will support you as much or little as you like andwe will provide you with our very own running vest towear with pride on the day!

Starting on Piccadilly outside The Guards & CalvaryClub, runners will pass the new WW2 BomberCommand Memorial which was unveiled by HM QueenElizabeth 11 in June 2012, two weeks prior to TheBritish 10k London Run in Diamond Jubilee Olympicyear with Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner asbackdrop.Runners will pass The Ritz, St. James's Palace,Trafalgar Square, the magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral,the unique London Eye, the worlds most famous clockBig Ben, the British Houses of Parliament, the historicWestminster Abbey before finishing on Whitehall (theportal of British Government) at the junction of RoyalHorse Guards and Banqueting House after passingDowning Street (the official London residence ofBritish Prime Ministers) and The Cenotaph, the nationalmemorial to those who made the ultimate sacrifice fortheir country.

Booking and information visit:www.thebritish10klondon.co.uk

British London 10k10th July 2016

Hadrian’s Wall originally ran from coast to coast andspanned 72 miles. Today we are left with only sectionsof this famous landmark, which cuts throughNorthumberland National Park. Starting at LanercostPriory, we trek for 25 miles (41km) alongside the onlyremaining sections of the wall, admiring ancientmonuments, beautiful scenery and the skill of theRoman engineers who built this famous landmark,now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Booking and information visit:www.discoveradventure.com

Hadrians Wall TrekVarious Dates

This exciting challenge willsee us summit anincredible 24 peaks in theLake District, all over2,400ft with a targettrekking time of 24 hours!The Lake District is one ofthe most beautiful areas inthe UK, filled withbreathtaking mountainsand valleys – it is the perfect backdrop to thisawesome challenge. The days will be long and thetrekking tough, but the rewards of hiking into the heartof this amazing National Park and the accomplishmentof conquering 24 peaks will make your effortsworthwhile.

Booking and information visit:www.globaladventurechallenges.com

24 Peak Challenge10th-12th June 2016 & 16th-18th Sep 2016

More Challenge Event areavailable on our websitemedicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Dogs saving livesmedicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

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You can donate to Medical Detection Dogsby texting: PAWS36 £5 or £10 to 70070

All the money goes to Medical Detection Dogs and your network provider does not charge you for the SMS