“I owe my life to that dog”: Husky sniffs out owner’s ovarian cancer three times
If you didn’t think dogs could get any better, then keep reading because you’re about to be proven wrong.
While dogs are known to have highly developed senses, one Siberian Husky by the name of Sierra has the gift of detecting when her owner is ill.
Stephanie Herfel, from Wisconsin in the US, discovered her pooch’s special talent after she was dealing with pain in her abdomen. It was then that Sierra did something out of the ordinary.
“She put her nose on my lower belly and sniffed so intently that I thought I spilled something on my clothes,” Ms Herfel told Journal Sentinel.
“She did it a second and then a third time. After the third time, Sierra went and hid. I mean hid!”
Seeking professional help, Ms Herfel was told she had an ovarian cyst and was prescribed painkillers to help alleviate the discomfort. But when she came home, Sierra hid in the closet and rolled up in fear.
Ms Herfel didn’t think much of it, but when she went to get a second opinion, a gynaecologist delivered the terrifying news – she had stage three ovarian cancer.
After going through a full hysterectomy and chemotherapy, Ms Herfel believed that would be the end of her tiring journey, but she was wrong.
In 2015, a year after Ms Herfel was said to be cancer-free, Sierra once again displayed the same behaviour she did in 2013, when Ms Herfel was first diagnosed.
A little while later it was confirmed that the cancer had returned and spread to her liver and pelvis.
But Sierra isn’t the only dog to be able to detect when something isn’t quite right in her owner.
It is said that other dogs also share this special gift.
“It’s almost like the dog knows what’s going on and is scared,” said Ashley Wagner, from the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance, explained to Journal Sentinel.
“The dog didn’t want to be near her.”
Ms Herfel is currently working on a book that is based around the relationship she shares with her dog.