Yorkshire woman says rescue dog saved her life by sniffing out her breast cancer

A woman from Yorkshire says she wouldn't be alive if her dog hadn't sniffed out her breast cancer.

Jack Russell-chihuahua cross Holly went to live with Claire Churchill in 2019 after being dumped on the door of a rescue centre the day before.

It was in November the following year that Claire was diagnosed with breast cancer thanks to Holly.

Claire said that she had a lump in her left breast checked after it was discovered by Holly, who had been "scratching", "crying" and "murmuring" at it.

She said: "When I first got her, I thought she was just weird. She would always stuff her nose down my top. As she got bigger towards the summer of 2020, she started pawing and started scratching at it."

It was in the August of 2020 that Claire said Holly was "almost crying and murmuring" and "wouldn't leave" her left breast alone.

"I started feeling around down there and thought I could feel a lump. I thought 'it doesn't feel very good."

"I wouldn't have checked myself...She was really distressed about it. I called the doctors it was the middle of lockdown and because of the backlog and delays they couldn't check it until October 2020."

"By that time it was the size of an orange and you could see it through my bra and top."

Claire was diagnosed with breast cancer in November that year.

She underwent a mastectomy in December last year and had chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Speaking about her diagnosis in 2020, Claire said: "The biggest tumour was 7.8cm. I was in my early 30s and wasn't looking for it. If it wasn't for Holly, I wouldn't have known and would have died."

Claire said she "never checked herself" prior to Holly finding her lump as she thought "breast cancer happened to women in their 60s and 70s, not early 30s".

She said that she told the doctor about Holly and they said they had heard "a few stories of dogs detecting cancer".

Claire added: "As soon as I had my mastectomy she left me alone. She's never done it again since then and it's like she's satisfied and happy it has gone."

"I don't know what I'd do without her. She's just a normal dog now and she's suffered a bit during my treatment because I couldn't always take her out for walks every day but now we go out walking every day. She's brilliant."

Claire says she is now looking forward to her future with Holly and added: "I'm so grateful and thankful to her and she's a rescue. She hasn't been trained to do this she just knew.

"If you can please get a rescue dog. Not only are you saving their lives but they can save yours."

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