We made this film for the BBC in 2006 and thought it about time we made it available online - especially in the light of new research this month (August 2011) from Germany showing that dogs can detect lung cancer to a high degree of accuracy. According to some reports, this is the first time that dogs have been shown to be able to do this - but as you'll see from our film, it isn't.

Can Dogs Smell Cancer? documents the whole history of dogs' ability to sniff out disease and we think it is a remarkable story.

It is a film I waited 20 years to make, after I covered the first anecdotal report of a dog detecting cancer as a print journalist (the story of Dalmatian Trudi who sniffed out a melanoma). I waited because I wanted the film to go beyond the anecdotal and it took all that time for anyone to conduct any scientific trials exploring the phenomenon in a controlled way.

There are many amazing sequences in this film... the incredible dogs at Florida State University who could detect chemicals at dilution of 1-2 parts per trillion... the dashed hopes of the team from Cambridge University when Bliss fails on the ultimate test... And then there is yellow labrador Kobi towards the end of the film. Hard to watch without a shiver running up your spine...

The film was shot, beautifully I hope you'll agree, by the unsung hero of Passionate Productions, Jon Lane - my partner in work and love.

Enjoy!

Jemima Harrison
Producer/Director
Passionate Productions
www.passionateproductions.com