Gathering of Friends LUNCHEON

Dr. Claire Guest became the Co-Founder of Medical Detection Dogs (MDD), a charity in the UK that trains both Bio Detection and Medical Alert Assistance Dogs, in 2008, and is the Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officer. Her story with her Labrador, Daisy, mirrors Martha Kaley’s Sherlock story. Both Labradors alerted their owners to their breast cancer. In 2009, during a walk, Daisy exhibited unusual behavior by repeatedly nudging Claire’s chest, which led Claire to discover an early-stage cancerous lump. This personal experience validated Claire’s belief that dogs could detect cancer through their acute sense of smell. Claire directed one of the first studies in the world to train dogs to identify bladder cancer by odor publishing a robust proof of principle in the BMJ September 2004. Claire and her team have trained and placed almost 200 assistance dogs which save the lives of their clients daily. These include the fir…