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They have long been regarded as man's best friend, but now dogs are being used to help scientists detect human cancers.
A team of very special canines in England are being trained to detect traces of cancer by sniffing urine samples, well before a patient might notice any symptoms.
The discovery came to light following tests at the Cancer and Bio-Detection Dogs' research centre in the south-east of the country.
Researchers also found that some canines are able to use their nose to detect when a diabetic person is about to have a hypoglycemic attack.
They say these dogs can be trained to warn their diabetic owners when their blood sugar levels are about to drop too low.
The charity is now training dogs to assist diabetic owners, in the same way guide dogs are placed with blind people.
The brainchild behind the initiative is orthopaedic surgeon Dr John Hun, who started the charity in 2004, after he wanted to investigate curious anecdotes about dogs pestering their owners repeatedly on parts of their body that were later found to be cancerous.
