Jill’s New Book has just been released:
Dog Nose Poster
“A dog’s nose is so acutely sensitive that it can sniff out substances in concentrations as low as one part per trillion; that’s the equivalent of detecting one drop of water in an Olympic size swimming pool.”
This 24"x26" black & white photography fine art poster is the opening image for the Cancer Sniffing Dogs chapter in a book I am completing called PEOPLE I HEAL WITH. I interviewed and photographed the people and dogs at Pine Street Foundation in California. Pets and companion animals are trained to sniff out ovarian cancer through analysis of exhaled breath samples of cancer patients, alongside normal breath samples.
The trained dogs are 95% correct in their detection of cancer cells, and often can identify pre-metastasized cells, which will eventually be an enormous help with a non-invasive early detection diagnosis.
The poster is a tribute to a dog's nose, and the myriad ways our animal companions heal us. Anecdotal stories from many people describe how their pet began scratching frantically at an area of their body, thereby directing the owner’s attention to something that didn’t smell / seem just right. Since companion animals spend so much time with us, they ARE aware if our regular body odor changes. And, cancer cells DO have a unique smell. These indicators often are not even picked up on Western Medicine
diagnostic tests until much later, when the disease has spread.
The other unique and marvelous aspect to this poster, that will be appreciated by any dog lover, is the remarkable differences in the noses themselves: one looks like a sleepy owl, another appears to be the head of an alien, and yet another nose looks like the Ram truck logo. Whether interested in the cancer aspect or not, it is the perfect gift for your dog and animal loving friends: for birthdays, holidays, and all days.
