Dogs are often referred to as our best friends.

And it’s not without good reason. Across time, humans have claimed dogs as one of their closest and most cherished companions. Of all domesticated animals, dogs take on a wide variety of roles. From being protectors to helpers, to companions to even lifesavers, dogs show up for us time and time again. The relationship is mutually beneficial and centuries old.

Such a relationship proved itself to dog owner Linda Munkley in the most real of ways.

Hailing from Bargoed, UK, Munkley is the proud owner of not just one, but four german shepherds.

And she doesn’t just credit them with being her best friends – she credits them with saving her life.

One day, Munkley couldn’t help but notice some awfully abnormal behavior from two of her dogs.

Her five-year-old Bea, and her three-year-old Enya started behaving erratically, sniffing and brushing against the woman’s chest. She regarded this as strange and tried to cast their curiosities aside. However, the dogs remained persistent in their efforts.

The 65-year-old revealed to Wales Online:

“She kept constantly doing it every day, jumping up at me and really sniffing just my chest area – she was so determined and I couldn’t stop her from doing it at all. On and on this behaviour went so I began checking my chest to see if I could feel any lumps but there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.”

The headbutting and sniffing didn’t stop, it only continued. So Munkley continued to regularly inspect herself. It was around two months later that she made a worrying discovery.

The retired woman continued:

“I went to the doctors to have it examined and so they analysed it and carried out a mammogram and then confirmed to me that it was a fast-growing form of breast cancer and it had started spreading to my lymph nodes. After it had been diagnosed as cancer Bea’s daughter Enya started carrying out the exact behaviour as her mum, jumping up at me or sitting on my lap and nuzzling at my chest.”

It’s been declared that dogs can smell millions of times better than humans, and this is just the amazing trait that saved Munkley’s life.

Cancer cells and other diseases produce an odor that dogs are able to pick up on. Michael T. Nappier, DVM, DABVP, of the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, said dogs, “have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, versus only about 6 million for us. And the part of their brain dedicated to interpreting these is about 40 times larger than ours.”

Thankfully, Munkley’s treatment was successful. And she owed it all to the persistence of her pooches.

Following treatment, she noticed that her dog’s behaviors changed.

“I had six months of chemotherapy and then had an operation to remove the lump followed by a month of radiotherapy. After the lump had been removed it was analysed which revealed that the chemotherapy had actually killed the cancer cells. I remembered the moment Bea and Enya had stopped sniffing me and wondered if that had been the exact moment the chemotherapy had been successful at tackling the cancerous cells in the lump.”

Munkley remains eternally grateful to her brilliant companions. If it wasn’t for their love and heightened senses, she would’ve never begun to check herself and find the cancer in time.

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Sources: The Animal Rescue Site, Wales Online