German shepherds, often used as working dogs in the past, are faithful, courageous, and intelligent dogs. Although they have a slight resemblance to the wolf, they are far from being related to them. Their intelligence have come in handy, making them the most popular dogs for accomplishing certain tasks. They are generally chosen for careers such as search-and-rescue, police jobs as well as guide dogs.  

 

I was always afraid of dogs sniffing me since I was a kid. I always thought that somewhere during the sniffing I would be bitten. Well, sniffing may not be a bad thing after all. Over the years, many researches have been done to find out if certain dogs, such as the German shepherd could detect certain types of cancer. In 1989, researchers first found out that dogs may have the ability to sniff out cancers. Other researches were done, and it was concluded that dogs can sniff cancers such as cancer of the skin, breast, bowel and the bladder. A study was conducted using 2 German shepherds, a Labrador, and an Australian shepherd. It was determined that they could use their sniffing skills to determine if a person has cancer.   

 

In order for German shepherds to sniff out cancers, they have to undergo specialized training. It is thought that they can sniff the scent that comes from chemical compounds, which are produced by cancer cells, and then exits the body through breathing. However, further research is being done to gather more information about the molecules that are released from people with cancer. Until they find out more information, I will never ignore a sniffing German shepherd.