Have you ever dreamed of owning an exotic pet? Some people have lived that fantasy, keeping wild animals as companions. We’ve already told you some uncomfortably odd stories involving some of the strangest pets on the planet.

But the weird and wacky can give way to nightmares in the waking world. Unfortunately for you, if you have ever dreamed of riding around on the back of an unusual creature, this list reveals 10 times when those cherished companions have turned deadly.

10 Cassowary

The world’s most dangerous bird is the cassowary, edging out both the emu and the ostrich for the win. Although a cassowary is as tall as a person, the real threat is closer to the ground.

The bird has 10-centimeter (4 in) swords for claws on the end of its ridiculously powerful legs. A kick from a cassowary can kill you both by blunt force trauma and blood loss. So naturally, they are sometimes sought out by exotic animal collectors as pets.

In Florida, a 75-year-old man was a breeder of these birds until one of them attacked him in 2019. According to officials, he fell to the ground by accident and then the bird struck. The man was probably doomed from the moment he hit the ground as a cassowary can run up to 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph) and jump 2.1 meters (7 ft) into the air despite being flightless.^[1]

This isn’t the first time that a cassowary attack has made headlines. In 2012, a man was chased by a cassowary and cornered on a cliff above a pool of water in Australia. The bird then kicked him in the back, sending him rolling down the embankment into the water below.

He survived but with bruises and a ripped shirt. He hadn’t done anything to upset the cassowary other than being nearby, but it decided to attack anyway.

9 A Red Deer And Elk Hybrid

On his farm in Australia, Paul McDonald was killed by a hybrid of a red deer and an elk (aka a wapiti). His family had kept the normally docile animal for years before it attacked Paul in 2019.

The deciding factor in the sudden mood shift appeared to be mating season. The animal’s hormones were acting up. Red deer stags live as social animals for 10 months of the year, but for two months, they enter a period of “rutting” in which they display more aggression and other sexual behaviors.

According to research on wild populations of deer, violence is connected to changes in testosterone. So, both castration and social isolation are useful in preventing dangerous outbursts in the animals during mating season. Unfortunately, this animal became unexpectedly violent despite its relative isolation from other deer.

One morning, Paul had gone to feed the hybrid breakfast when his wife and son heard a commotion coming from the animal’s area as the beast attacked. His wife attempted to intervene, but she was injured by the animal.

Their son went to get help. After paramedics and police arrived, they treated the injuries and shot the hybrid. Paul died from his injuries, but his wife survived. She was moved to a hospital where she eventually recovered after several operations.^[2]

8 Hippo

In 2011, headlines were made when a South African man named Marius Els was killed by his pet hippopotamus, which he called Humphrey. The death was notable because Els and Humphrey had appeared in media and videos together demonstrating their seemingly friendly bond.

A video called “My Pet Hippo: I Love Humphrey” was uploaded to YouTube earlier in the year that Els was killed. He had rescued Humphrey as a calf from a flood. Around six years later, Humphrey killed Els by repeatedly biting and gouging him.

It was not the first time that Humphrey, the 1,179-kilogram (2,600 lb) mammal, had killed. He had previously destroyed multiple cows that had been owned by a business partner of Els.^[3]

Friends of Els reportedly knew that it was only a matter of time before the deadliest animal in Africa would off a person. Hippos kill more people each year than several more dangerous-sounding species combined, including elephants, lions, leopards, and rhinos.

Els was known for performing dangerous stunts with Humphrey, especially posing for photographs while riding on the animal’s back. At one point before Els’s death, Humphrey had attacked two canoers who passed too close to him on the river, forcing them to climb a tree for safety and remain there for hours.

7 Southern Pig-Tailed Macaque Monkey

Monkeys may not sound like the most dangerous animals in the world. We often associate them with funny behaviors like eating bananas and throwing feces. But the bites of monkeys can be deadly—especially in this case from Malaysia in 2019 when the monkey bit through a major artery.

A 72-year-old man and his son were both attacked by their pet monkey as they were attempting to get it to climb trees and retrieve fruit. It was the older man who died, although the son received an injury to his neck.

The monkey had been trained to gather coconuts from palm trees by going to something called a monkey school. In Malaysia, monkey schools teach a species called the southern pig-tailed macaque to retrieve these fruits to assist the local economy.

The monkeys have been trained this way for at least 100 years, and each one is typically taught at a school for 2–3 weeks before getting a job as a coconut picker. The training begins by creating an interest in coconuts by encouraging the monkey to play with them. Then it proceeds in stages during which the monkey is taught movements and command words.^[4]

The murdering monkey in question was older than the ideal age for these animals to begin their training, which may be why the schooling did not turn out so well for this monkey. The son discovered that his father was lying in their coconut grove and so went to investigate when he was attacked by the monkey as well.

A neighbor heard the screaming, and the son was rescued. But it was too late for the father. It is unknown whether the monkey mistook their heads for coconuts in need of harvest or if it was in a neck-biting mood for some other reason.

6 Black Bear

In 2009, a pet black bear named Teddy killed one of its owners. Despite the animal’s soft-sounding name, this was not a particularly cuddly murder. Kelly Ann and Michael Walz lived in Pennsylvania, and Michael had previously held a license as an exotic pet dealer. That license had expired by the time that his bear killed his wife.

Earlier, the Walzes had kept various animals in cages on their property. These included a lion, a tiger, a jaguar, a leopard, some relatively small savanna cats called servals, and the bear.

But even though Michael had received the animal permit, it was Kelly Ann who was cleaning the black bear cage one Sunday night when the accident occurred. To keep the bear occupied, she tossed a shovelful of dog food to one side of the cage while she cleaned the other side. The bear attacked her while she was cleaning.^[5]

Kelly Ann had been raising the bear for nine years—ever since it was a cub. Bear cubs are relatively easy to handle. But according to experts, any relationships that may be formed with a cub are destroyed when the bear reaches about four years old and reveals violent outbursts of behavior.

Bears have never been successfully domesticated despite attempts (especially in Russia). They are considered wild and unpredictable animals even if they have lived among humans for long periods of time.

5 Camel

Hypothetically, what would you give your wife for her 60th birthday? Jewelry? Flowers? How about a baby camel?

That was the birthday present that Pam Weaver’s husband gave her in 2007. Living in Australia, Weaver was an animal lover who had previously raised goats, kangaroos, emus, and rabbits.

Having a camel in Australia is not as strange as it may sound. Many wild camels have lived on the continent since they were brought there in the 1800s as pack animals. In fact, there are well over a million feral single-humped camels roaming the wilds of Australia as an unusual invasive species. They cause millions in damages to property each year and are a general nuisance.

The pet camel is believed to have knocked Pam Weaver to the ground and then straddled her body, killing her. Pam had raised the camel almost from birth, and it was just 10 months old when the tragedy happened. Reportedly, the camel had displayed erratic behavior before—such as straddling Weaver’s pet goat.^[6]

One expert stated that the strange behaviors were undoubtedly sexual in nature and that the young camel was attempting to engage in some type of mating behavior. Of course, the headlines wasted no time with their insensitive puns, declaring that the woman had been humped to death.

4 Crocodile

In January 2019, an Indonesian woman fell into an outdoor enclosure containing an illegally kept crocodile named Merry. The woman’s name was Deasy Tuwo, and she was the head of a pearl farm laboratory that produced beauty products. It was unknown what a crocodile was doing on the laboratory property because these creatures are not known for their beauty. But apparently, it was being fed like a pet.

It is believed that Tuwo fell into the enclosure by accident or the crocodile was able to leap far enough up the 2.4-meter (8 ft) concrete wall of the enclosure to snatch her. Crocodiles make powerful leaps using their tails to propel them almost entirely out of the water in which they are swimming.

In some places, taunting crocodiles by holding meat above the water and forcing them to jump to grab it is a popular tourist attraction called a “jumping crocodile cruise.”^[7]

By the time that Tuwo’s body was found, Merry had eaten one of her hands and most of her abdomen. To remove the dangerous and illegal reptile from the property, the police, the army, and conservation officials all pitched in.

It took dozens of people to organize and complete the three-hour operation to evict Merry the crocodile. She was then strapped to a flatbed truck and driven away to a wildlife rescue center.

3 Elephant

A man named Ram Lakhan Verma was a politician affiliated with a political party in India called the Bahujan Samaj Party. The official symbol of the party is the elephant. As a gimmick of sorts, Verma kept an elephant as a pet that he would use during political campaigns.

In 2003, the elephant began behaving wildly. So Verma brought him to the outskirts of the village and tried to calm him down. At first, it seemed to be working, but then the elephant became enraged again.

At that point, Verma lashed out and tried to strike the animal on the forehead with a sharp iron rod. Eyewitnesses reported that the weapon ended up lodged in the elephant’s ear. Verma then lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The panicked elephant crushed him to death and then ran back toward the village. Unfortunately for the skittish animal, the villagers were ready. They opened fire on the elephant with their guns and shot him over 200 times in total.^[8]

Did the massacre of their mascot hurt the chances of the political party?

Not so much. In the next countrywide election held in India after the death of the elephant and its owner, the Bahujan Samaj Party won the state assembly election with a non-coalition majority, the likes of which had not been seen in well over a decade.

2 Wildebeest

The gnu, a species of African antelope often called a wildebeest, weighs hundreds of pounds, and both the males and females grow large and intimidating horns. This did not deter one man in Indiana from keeping three wildebeests as pets: an adult male, an adult female, and a calf born to the adults.^[9]

In 2004, Klaus “Dick” Radandt was trampled to death by one of his wildebeests behind his home. The animal had been made safer to handle by cutting off most of its horns, but that turned out not to matter in the end. The coroner declared that the wildebeest had inflicted blunt force trauma to its owner’s head and chest, probably first by ramming him and then by trampling him.

What most likely set the wildebeest off on its murderous rampage? It was the beginning of the mating season. He may have been extra aggressive to prevent Radandt from being around his mate. Radandt and his wife also kept emus, reindeer, and other exotic animals on the farm where he was killed.

His wife discovered Radandt’s body after realizing that he had not come back from the barnyard for quite some time. Presumably, she did not react well when she discovered his body among their implausibility of gnus. Yes, a herd of gnus is called an implausibility. At least you got that fun fact out of this sad story!

1 Black Mamba Snake

In Putnam, New York, a couple was keeping around 75 snakes, including a black mamba, in their home. The black mamba is considered the second-deadliest snake in the world based on its venom’s neurotoxin power.

The snakes were not just roaming free among the cabinets and furniture, of course. They were contained in various glass aquariums and acrylic snake pens. Unfortunately, the locks on the black mamba’s enclosure were mysteriously open one day.

In 2011, the 1.5-meter (5 ft) venomous reptile bit owner Aleta Stacey on her forearm. The snake is known for its venom because nearly 100 percent of bite victims will die within 20 minutes if not treated.

Stacey died from the bite, and it appeared that she had not tried to call for help of any kind. There was some discussion that the death may have been intentional, but proof of this was not found. Her boyfriend discovered her body and then found that the snake’s cage was unlocked.^[10]

The possession of some of the snakes was illegal, especially because over half of them had venom known to be harmful to people (such as the cobra they also owned). In the end, the pile of snakes, including the black mamba, were turned over to the Bronx Zoo.

Alexander R. Toftness runs a science and history channel at https://www.youtube.com/artexplains and can be found on Twitter @ARTexplains for more strange facts.

You do spoil your dog, and it’s only right as they are a part of your family. While many inventions aim to make dogs self-sufficient while they are at home alone, no technological marvel bests spending time with them or frolicking together in the outdoors.

While you might second guess these unique pet products, hang on. If you think about it, even the inventor of the flea collar must have been fed up with pesky flea scratches. So they created a way to rid their pets of fleas and prevent them from coming back. Pet parents everywhere were skeptical that a collar could solve their four-legged friend’s flea problem, but now they’re practically a necessity. Let’s walk through the ten best inventions for dog owners—wait, did you say walk?

10 PetPeek Fence Window

Let’s face it. Your dog loves to have a better look at the other side of the fence. It’s the equivalent of a canine accomplishment. This is a neat invention for dog owners who wish there was something they can do to stop fence scratching, digging, or putting heads through chinks and holes.

The PetPeek fence window offers a safer, more generous, and aesthetic window than a simple hole in the fence. These clear glass half domes beat flat windows as your dog can put their head through, turn it around, and observe without putting themselves or others at risk.

It could be that your furry friend wants to see you off when you go or to keep an eye on every stranger passing outside the fence. The PetPeek fence window makes a concave dome that sticks out of the fence and helps curb incessant barking as they’re not too alarmed by what’s happening on the other side.

9 Kurgo Car Zip Line Harness

If your puppy is especially feisty, they might hop onto the front passenger seat or even wiggling onto your lap as you drive. Other than placing your furry pal in a seat belt harness, which they hate, the better option remains the Kurgo Car Zip Line Harness.

Your four-legged friend loves to ride in the car with you, but keeping still for safety isn’t easy. They want to stick their head out of one back window and then skip to the one on the other side before coming to stand in the center console to be next to you.

This just-in-time invention will keep your dog in the back seat but lets them slip back and forth between the rear windows. Your pet is kept secure, and they have access to all the wind they desire on their face while you drive safely.

8 Frostybowlz Chilled Water Bowl

Everyone hates drinking warm water, your dog included. A chilled drink makes all the difference. That’s why this low tech invention is so popular with pet parents who are tired of placing ice that melts in their dogs drinking bowls, particularly when summer comes around.

The chilled water bowl by FrostyBowlz keeps the water cooler for longer using an insert that freezes the bowl itself. This invention can chill water in the bowl for more than 14 hours, even in the hottest temperatures, and it works outdoors and indoors.

The dishwasher safe bowl is made from 28 oz heavy-gauge steel and has a non-skid surface. The FrostyBowlz uses FrostyCore innovative freezable gel that’s reusable for over 1000 times. You can also use the chilled bowl to keep dog food fresh all day, minimizing the risk of bacteria, and it has a moat tray around the edge to keep ants away.

7 SafetyFirst Universal Car Window Travel Vent

Now here’s something that dog owners desperately need when traveling with their pets, especially if you have to leave them in the car. The SafetyFirst Universal Car Window Travel Vent lets you crack down the car window further, and you don’t have to worry that your dog will jump out or strangers will reach in trying to play with them at the parking lot.

This is a collapsible grill that fits between the top and bottom of a half-open car window, allowing your dog more fresh air and preventing unwanted petting hands. You don’t have to rig contraptions that keep falling off or which won’t deter egress or entry, while the SafetyFirst Car Window Travel Vent costs less than $15

6 Playdate

Playtime can be tiresome for dog owners, but luckily dogs can have great fun all on their own with a little incentive. Playdate combines a Remote Operation Vehicle or ROV with a camera and packages in a pretty but sturdy plastic ball.

A mobile app lets you operate the robotic plaything from remote locations; you control functions like drive, smile, play, and repeat. Made from non-toxic polycarbonate, this top-selling, chew-resistant ball charges through a wireless docking platform.

Playdate is also a two-way audio device, with visuals provided by the wide-angle camera module, designed not to roll around with the outer ball. You can connect to this intelligent toy from anywhere using the android and iOS compatible apps, bringing you close to your pet when you’re not home.

5 LESYPET Leash with Umbrella

It’s not as though dogs mind getting rained on all that much, but you’ll have to dry them when you get back from a walk. The LESYPET Umbrella with Leash is for a small-sized dog or puppy. It attaches to the leash over your pet to keep them dry in the rain.

If rain ruins your dog walking, and you’re not looking forward to toweling them when you get back, this invention is worth a try. A see-through hood lets your pup navigate the puddles to keep their feet from getting wet.

4 iFetch

If there ever was an invention that dogs celebrated, it’s the automated ‘fetch’ robot that gave respite to tired human arms. iFetch is an automatic ball launcher that interacts with the dog, launching balls gently at three set distances, and there’s a mini version, a Frenzy, as well as the Too for fast-paced to large dogs.

Dogs never get tired of playing fetch, and you’ll see just how much this toy keeps your puppy bouncing around. With the touch of a button, iFetch balls start rolling, launched at up to 30 feet, and continue as soon as your dog brings it back to the funnel-shaped mouth.

This interactive toy launches a branded ball once your dog brings back one and returns it into its large container. The iFetch is also handy, a purely mechanical robotic toy that doesn’t use sensors or fancy apps to control.

3 Furbo High-Tech Treat-Tossing Dog Camera

If you’re out for the night, you should have a way to check in on your dog, maybe with a live-streaming device that has night vision? Yeah, that’s the stuff. For your dog, it’s even better when the Furbo High-Tech Treat-Tossing Dog Camera tosses them a treat, just to let them know you’re thinking about them.

A free iOS and android app connect seamlessly with this device, giving you access to a pet spy that shoots treats at your delighted canine. You reward your dog as you heap visual and verbal praises on them, all from a distance, and you’ll get push notifications when they’re barking.

Remind your dog from any location that you love them, switching on the camera that captures their furry grin, even in the dark.

2 Inubox

Dog owners need a solution when they aren’t around to take their pets out to go to the bathroom themselves. Even if you don’t have access to a backyard, your dog can easily use the Inubox self-cleaning dog waste management system.

This invention uses a hydrophobic tray and a weight sensor pad that activates waste clearing as soon as your dog steps off the litter box. When your four-legged friend makes a business visit, the Inubox dispenses a treat as a reward—a thank you note for absentee potty training.

But what will keep your treat-loving hound from coming back for more treats from the poop machine? The inventor of Inubox thought of that too. It can sense when they’ve actually done their business, prompting them to stop depositing smelly treats in any other part of the house.

1 Haptic Feedback Harness

Haptic feedback harnesses for seeing-eye dogs have jumped off the ol’ drawing board. A blind dog owner himself, Sean Marlin, lead author of the research paper on the experimental harness, tested the leash system, which contains an electrocardiogram and plethysmograph.

The dog’s heart rate and respiration are monitored, and the output is processed by an aptly named Beaglebone Black microcomputer at the harnesses’ base. Blind dog owners can now rely on their guide dogs’ cues with vibratory monitors at both sides of the leash handle.

You can also select the audio option via a Bluetooth headset too. This feature is being tested to remotely monitor the well-being of search and rescue dogs in dangerous situations.

Dogs have an incredible sense of smell. In fact, canines are equipped with over 100 million sensory receptors within their nasal cavity, whereas humans possess about six million. Additionally, dogs also have a second olfactory system that not only allows them to pick up on physical smells but also allows them to detect pheromones, human emotions, and even the presence of storms.

Given their powerful noses, it’s no wonder dogs have been used in hunting, trained to sniff out bombs or drugs, and assisted in search and rescue missions.

However, the 10 dogs on this list were able to accurately detect a much more important, typically undetectable odor in their owners—cancer. And they did so long before their human companions were ever diagnosed by a healthcare professional.

Related: Top 10 Dogs With Unusual Jobs

10 Sierra the Siberian Husky

When Stephanie Herfel’s son left for the Air Force in 2011, she took in his nine-month-old Siberian husky puppy, Sierra. Little did Herfel know what a gift Sierra would truly be.

One day in 2013, Sierra began sniffing and pressing her nose into Herfel’s abdomen. At first, Herfel assumed that perhaps the dog smelled food that she had spilled on her shirt. However, the substance Sierra detected was startling enough to make her roll up into a ball and hide in the closet.

While Herfel had previously experienced pain in her abdomen, she was advised by an ER physician that she had an ovarian cyst and was sent home with pain medication. Given Sierra’s reaction, Herfel made an appointment with her gynecologist. On November 11, 2013, her doctor confirmed that she had stage 3 ovarian cancer.

Herfel had a full hysterectomy, lost her spleen, and continued chemotherapy until April 2014. Unfortunately, in 2015, Sierra again exhibited the same behavior as in 2013 when she “smelled” Herfel’s cancer. Sierra was right again—the cancer had returned—but this time in Herfel’s liver. Sierra also confirmed a third recurrence of cancer in 2016.

Sadly, Herfel passed away on July 8, 2021, at 54, after an eight-year battle with ovarian cancer and acute myeloid leukemia. However, had it not been for Sierra’s keen sense of smell, Herfel may not have had the additional eight years with her family.^[1]

9 Heidi the German Shepherd-Lab Mix

Anne Wills’s dog Heidi, a German shepherd-lab mix, worked as a search and rescue dog. While Heidi had saved thousands of lives, Wills could never have imagined that Heidi would also save her life.

In February 2015, Heidi began exhibiting strange behaviors each time Wills would sit down—refusing to let Wills up, scratching her arm, and panting excessively, almost as if in a panic. From there, Heidi began pressing her nose into Wills’s chest, taking deep breaths.

Assuming something was wrong with her canine companion, Wills took Heidi to the vet. However, after Heidi received a clean bill of health, Wills realized that Heidi might, in fact, be sensing something was wrong with her instead.

Wills made an appointment to see her doctor, and after being sent for a CAT scan, she was informed that she had lung cancer. She underwent surgery along with intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments with Heidi by her side every step of the way. Sadly, Heidi passed away from cancer on December 24, 2015.^[2]

8 Victoria the Treeing Walker Coonhound

Lauren Gauthier of Buffalo, New York, is the founder of Magic’s Mission Beagle and Hound Rescue, an animal rescue organization that saves dogs from abusive and neglectful situations.

In 2017, Gauthier took in Victoria, a treeing walker coonhound with an infected eye, who had been surrendered by a hunter. Gauthier never realized that not only was she saving Victoria but that Victoria would also save her.

In the spring of 2017, Victoria began staring at Gauthier’s face and putting her nose directly on an area that Gauthier had assumed was simply a pimple or blemish. Victoria would repeatedly touch Gauthier’s nose, look at her, and then smell the area again. When Victoria’s behavior persisted, Gauthier decided to see a doctor.

Gauthier had a biopsy, revealing that the “dot” on her face was actually a basal cell carcinoma. However, thanks to Victoria’s heightened senses and persistence with her owner, Gauthier was able to catch the skin cancer in the early stages and undergo surgery to have it removed.^[3]

7 Troy the Doberman Pinscher

Diane Papazian and her husband Harry already owned a fox terrier. However, in 2011, Harry insisted they add Troy, a four-month-old Doberman pinscher, to their family. Given Papazian’s allergies, she was a bit hesitant, but she and her husband ended up bringing Troy into the family… a month earlier than expected. What Papazian did not yet understand was that Troy was meant to come into her life at the time he did.

As the tiny pup was lying in bed with the couple, Troy continued to nuzzle against Papazian’s left side, which caused an allergic reaction to her skin. As Papazian began scratching, she noticed a lump in her left breast.

Papazian had undergone a routine mammogram six months prior, and the results were normal, but after feeling the mass, she got in touch with her doctor. That lump turned out to be stage 2 breast cancer. Papazian had a double mastectomy, started chemotherapy treatments, and was later deemed cancer free, all thanks to their new pup.^[4]

6 Daisy-May the West Highland Terrier

In April 2017, 68-year-old Thelly Price’s west highland terrier, Daisy-May, began constantly sniffing around Price’s neck and throat. At first, Price couldn’t see or feel anything that would contribute to Daisy-May’s strange behavior. However, Daisy-May’s nose was spot on.

On May 17, 2017, Price went to the doctor after noticing a lump in the exact area that Daisy-May had been sniffing. Her doctor assumed she had a fatty lump, but after being referred to an ear, nose, and throat clinic for further evaluation, Price was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Thankfully, due to Daisy-May’s keen sense of smell and early detection, Price was able to undergo surgery without the need for radiation or chemotherapy.^[5]

5 Kransky the Miniature Dachsund

As Claire Seeber was curled up on the couch talking to her mother shortly after the Christmas of 2019, her “mini-sausage dog,” Kransky, began incessantly sniffing a mole on her right calf. While Seeber laughed at the tickling sensation, what Kransky discovered was no laughing matter.

Seeber explained her laughter to her mother and what was going on during their call. Given Kransky’s behavior, her mother urged her to get checked out. However, Seeber brushed off Kransky’s actions and her mother’s advice as simple paranoia. Nevertheless, Seeber’s mother wouldn’t back down, so she finally gave in and made an appointment.

As soon as her doctor took one look at the mole, he insisted that it needed to be removed and sent for biopsy. A few days later, Seeber’s doctor confirmed that she had a cancerous melanoma.

Seeber was scheduled for surgery to remove the surrounding cells and ensure that all of the cancer was gone. Thankfully, the surgery was a success which meant Seeber would not need any radiation or chemotherapy treatments, and best of all, Kransky was by her side the entire time.^[6]

4 Lola the Chihuahua

Approximately 10 days before Christmas 2020, 41-year-old Tess Robison’s chihuahua, Lola, began acting incredibly strange—smelling Tess’s breath, staring at her, and acting more needy than usual. Then, in a desperate attempt to get Robison’s attention, Lola jumped on her stomach. Two days later, a lump appeared.

Robison immediately made an appointment with her doctor, but it was uncertain what the mass was. Robison was then referred to several different hospitals before being diagnosed with stage 3 low-grade serous carcinoma, a rare form of ovarian cancer, in January 2021.

In March 2021, Robison underwent a 12-hour surgery in which a full hysterectomy was done. However, during the operation, doctors also discovered that cancer had spread to Robison’s bowels. Between the surgery and regular chemotherapy treatments, Robinson is now on the road to recovery.^[7]

3 Broady the Newfoundland

Forty-five-year-old Lucy Gies of Didcot, Oxfordshire, adopted Broady, a 154-pound (11-stone) Newfoundland in July of 2021 when his previous family was no longer able to care for him. Unbeknownst to Giles, the “gentle giant” would be more of a blessing than she would ever realize.

By September 2021, Broady began acting strange, and each time Giles would sit down, he would sniff and nuzzle her right armpit. Initially, Giles assumed Broady simply wanted extra attention. However, one morning as Giles was taking a shower, she decided to do a breast exam. That’s when she felt a lump in her right armpit.

Giles’s doctor believed that the lump was hormone related, but when weeks passed with no change, Giles was sent to the hospital for testing. Giles was diagnosed with HER-2 positive breast cancer and was told she also had cancer cells in her lymph nodes.

In October 2021, Giles began six rounds of chemotherapy, then had a lumpectomy followed by radiation treatment. Giles is currently still going through chemotherapy.^[8]

2 Bessie the Cairn Terrier

Ron Wain and his partner of Newhall, Yorkshire, rescued their Cairn terrier, Bessie, when she was only 10 months old. However, in 2018, after spending 12 years with the couple, Bessie exhibited behavior that was out of character, such as constantly watching Wain’s every move, following him around, and laying on his chest.

Around the same time Bessie began behaving strangely, Wain noticed he was having to make more trips to the restroom than normal. In light of Bessie’s odd behavior and his increased restroom visits, Wain decided to bring the issue to his doctor’s attention. Wain was then diagnosed with bladder cancer.

Unfortunately, Wain’s first operation was unsuccessful in removing all the cancer, so he opted for a bacterial treatment, which uses a strain of tuberculosis called bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) to treat non-invasive bladder cancers. Once Wain was at the end of his treatment, he was told his cancer had cleared. Bessie, too, stopped following Wain around and went back to her normal behavior.^[9]

1 Buster the Jack Russell Terrier

In the spring of 2014, Mike Wagner of Deering, New Hampshire, was lying in bed without a shirt when his dog Buster, a Jack Russell terrier, laid his head on Wagner’s chest and began nudging him. It was then that Wagner noticed a lump on his chest.

Wagner didn’t think too much of the lump and continued his work as a logger for the next few months. However, he began to notice that while he was working and pulling wood, every time he moved his arm, he got an odd feeling in his chest.

Wagner then made an appointment to get checked out. He was referred to a breast cancer center where a biopsy was done, and he was diagnosed with breast cancer. Wagner underwent surgery to remove the cancer, but during the procedure, the doctor realized it had also spread into Wagner’s lymph nodes.

In an attempt to rid his body of cancer, Wagner then went through five months of chemotherapy and six months of radiation. He officially had his last treatment on October 2, 2015.^[10]