Breanna Bortner, a 31-year-old from Minnesota, credits her cockapoo, Mochi, with detecting her breast cancer before her doctors did. In 2023, after finding a lump in her breast, Bortner noticed that Mochi became unusually fixated on her right breast — a behavior he had never shown before. Six weeks later, a biopsy confirmed she had stage 2B triple-negative breast cancer.
Throughout her treatment, Mochi continued to comfort her, helping her stay motivated through chemotherapy, which Bortner reframed as “healing sessions” to stay positive. Simple daily tasks like feeding Mochi kept her moving, and his constant companionship made a difficult journey a little easier.
Medical experts confirm that dogs’ highly sensitive sense of smell can sometimes detect cancer-related changes in human bodies. Researchers are even developing artificial “canine noses” and using AI to replicate this ability.
Today, nearly a year after her treatment, Bortner is cancer-free and supports others going through similar battles, crediting Mochi — her “soul dog” — for being by her side from the beginning.
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