Harley the Beagle has mastered a special skill after rigorous training of 8 months. This special dog can sniff out the life-threatening Clostridioides difficile bacteria, also known as C. diff.
If left unchecked, these bacteria can cause fatal inflammation in a patient’s colon. Harley is the only dog in the country that can alert about the presence of C. diff.
Harley visits the Vidant Medical Center twice every week and sniffs out every corner of their Cancer Care Unit with utter dedication.
By successfully locating the infected areas, Harley helps the vulnerable patients from getting sicker. Thanks to her special nose, the hospital’s C. diff rates are half of the national average!
Harley’s owner and trainer, Keith Pittman, says that the sweet dog was rescued from a bad situation where she was being forced to hunt rabbits. Harley never warmed up to the idea of hunting innocent creatures.
However, she showed an amazing affinity toward sniffing out bacteria. We guess she was always destined to be a bacteria-hunting life-saver!
Seeing positive results from Harley’s training, the hospital is now encouraging Keith to train other dogs to sniff out C. diff. As dogs have a heightened sense of smell, they can make a huge difference in the mortality rates in hospitals.
What a hero! Good luck, Harley!
Click the video below to watch Harley’s mind-blowing skills as she sniffs out the dangerous bacteria!
