Incredible Asher can sniff out ways to help
It’s time to meet our next winner of the Mirror People’s Pet Awards with Webbox. Our team went through thousands of nominations to produce a shortlist for the judging panel, who chose which incredible animals and animal lovers should receive a trophy. Today it’s our Best Rescue, awesome Asher.
Deemed “naughty” and “neurotic” as a pup, adorable Asher had been rehomed a number of times by the age of just three. But once he found his place with Medical Detection Dogs, a charity helping scientists and medics develop faster and cheaper ways to detect diseases, the pooch proved he was much more than your average canine.
Not only did the cocker spaniel find a happy home with Dr Claire Guest, founder of the charity which harnesses the power of dogs’ noses to detect human diseases, but he became one of the most valued workers in its Bio Detection team.
“By all accounts, Asher was a challenging dog before he came to us,” says Gemma Butlin from the team. “He would run off and disappear, and seemed quite anxious. But once he came to us as a rescue, it was clear he just needed somewhere to channel all his energy.”
When training Asher, who arrived with the charity in 2016, Claire had to start from scratch, as if he were a puppy. First, she focused on his relationship with people and building his trust before he moved into disease training.
“Early training involves fun, simple games like hiding a tennis ball in a paddock with the task of sniffing it out,” explains Gemma. “Then as things progress, the games become more targeted with specific scent training. When the dogs come to the right conclusion, even if that means they don’t find a scent, they are rewarded with a treat.
“Asher showed a real talent and, over time, the potential he’d shown turned into important skills.”
Across six years of service Asher, now 11, worked to sniff out Parkinson’s disease, malaria and even Covid. “When the pandemic hit and we thought dogs could probably detect it too, he was put on that team,” says Gemma. “And he found it within just a couple of days.
“He was one of our most experienced and successful dogs.”
Now in its 15th year, Medical Detection Dogs, which former animal behaviourist Claire set up after realising the potential dogs had for spotting illness, has trained more than 100 bio detection dogs like Asher.
The team also trains medical alert assistance dogs, with 180 of these currently placed with clients across the country. Team veteran Asher retired late last year, but is still a much-loved member of the family. Gemma says: “He’s now living his best life with Claire and two doggy friends on our cancer detection team. He comes to the office all the time and is usually found upside down on a sofa, or staring at a tennis ball.
“He might be retired, but the contribution he’s made to the vital work we’re doing has been immense, which is why we’re so thrilled he’s won the Best Rescue category here. It just goes to show that all the rescues out there could have some incredible untapped potential.”
Asher’s owner and Claire added: “When Asher joined MDD eight years ago he was a troubled boy who spooked easily and always seemed to be trying to escape from something.
“But I knew straight away he was special and had been misunderstood when labelled ‘naughty’. He needed to be kept busy, challenged and to use his amazing nose and brain.
“Becoming a bio detection dog was the making of Asher – he couldn’t wait to get in the training room and his tail would wag furiously and he’d stare at me intently as I opened the door. He has been a fantastic member of the team and has taught us so much about the odour of disease.
“It is unusual for our dogs to work on multiple diseases but he was so reliable, fast to learn and still so keen to work that we asked extra questions of his nose.”
WINNER