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| OHCC LIVING | APRIL 2025 | 29 Pet Lovers Club Cancer-Sning Dogs Dr. Armand Cognetta of Tallahassee, FL, a renowned dermatologist specializing in skin cancers, knowing that dogs could sni out odors from other organs, wondered if dogs could be trained to detect melanomas, the deadliest skin cancers. A two-year study proved how accurate well-trained dogs could be. Below is from an article that was in the Tallahassee Democrat in 1996, describing the process and the outcomes. e dermatologist and a dog trainer watched as George, the award-winning schnauzer, circled a patient, sning until he came to a suspected cancerous mole. e dog snied hard, then sat down. "Show me," ordered the trainer and George lied his paw and gently touched the spot. A lab test conrmed it was cancer. Cognetta and Pickel, a retired ocer from a police K-9 unit, worked two years on a pilot study. Now it's up to medical peers to review the results, said Cognetta, who questioned whether dogs are able to detect skin cancer. But he says dogs might be trained to nd other cancers or detect other diseases in ird World countries without high-tech medical equipment. Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer and the fastest-growing type of cancer. Doctors nationwide nd only about 80% of melanomas in time. Cognetta got the dog idea aer hearing an account of police using a dog to search for a body in a lake. A search of medical journals found a four-year-old letter about a woman who asked to have a mole removed aer her dog kept sning and biting at it. Doctors removed it and found it was cancerous. A dog can be trained to nd anything you need it to nd," Pickel said. "It's the same game as drugs or bombs. I was sure we could do it." Pickel began training his prize-winning schnauzer to nd a test-tube containing a melanoma sample. George, energetic and friendly even with strangers, is a top bomb-detection dog who obeys more than 100 hand signals and has won nearly 400 obedience awards. His accuracy soon topped 99% on tests such as nding the cancer sample in one of 10 holes in a long box. He began training with Kim Edwards, a nurse at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Center, who said she wanted to be involved because of a family history of skin cancer. Edwards would put bandages on her body, sometimes with a cancer sample underneath. In more than 40 trials over more than a year, George reached nearly 100 percent accuracy in nding the right bandages. In 1994, George found the suspected mole on the rst test patient. e dog searched for six more test patients in 1995. He correctly identied cancer in at least four of the seven volunteers, and perhaps ve depending on how one test is interpreted. It would take hundreds of closely controlled experiments to determine how accurate a dog can be. Since 1996, hundreds of researchers across the globe have taken up the challenge on melanoma and many have trained dogs to sni out tumors in other organs. Written by Karen Hasting and Ellen Kipple Did you know you can grow vegetables and other plants in a bag? is method is an easy and eective way to garden in a small space. Join us for OHCC Garden Club's April meeting, Organic Gardening in a Canvas Bag, to learn about this approach to gardening. is technique oers lots of exibility for growing vegetables and other plants in your yard – no matter the size. We are pleased to have Lisa Seamans, an OHCC resident of 12 years, as our April speaker. Lisa will share her experience with organic gardening in canvas bags. She will discuss topics such as soil amendments, composting, fertilizers, planting methods and the overall care of your plants. Her own OHCC gardens are rich in herbs, greens and vegetables so join us to hear how you can transform your own garden. Event Details: Wed., April 9, Abravanel Hall, social time at 9:30 am and the meeting starts at 10am. Join the Garden Club for just $10 per year - sign up at any meeting. Be sure to stop by the Share Table for gardening treasures. We look forward to seeing you! Written by Betsy Davis, (408) 309- 6883, betsy.m.davis@gmail.com Garden Club Organic Gardening in a Canvas Bag

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