A Minnesota woman credits her dog for alerting her to breast cancer before doctors diagnosed it.
Many of us have pets that comfort us when we’re sad or sick. We know they notice more than we think, and sometimes they sense things long before we do.
God often uses His creation to protect and guide us, even through animals. This story is a strong reminder to pay attention to what He places right in front of us — and to trust Him through the unknown.
Breanna Bortner was 30 when she noticed a lump in her right breast in June 2023. A few months before, her routine breast exam had come back clear.
The lump grew fast, and during this time, her two-year-old cockapoo named Mochi started acting differently. He began sniffing, pawing, and pressing his head against her chest.
“It was very odd,” she said. “He had never done that before, even when I had been sick in the past or dealt with other things.”
That behavior stood out to Bortner. She had heard stories about dogs detecting illnesses but had never experienced anything like it.
Around the same time, her sister-in-law’s dog, Gunner, also became fixated on the same spot.
She had already planned to get tested again, but the way both dogs reacted made her realize it could be something serious. “I knew this wasn’t good,” she said.
Doctors diagnosed her with stage 2B triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma. This type of breast cancer is known to be aggressive and harder to treat because it does not respond to hormone therapy.
After the biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, Bortner reflected, “I was like, oh my gosh, he’s known this whole time. Before I knew and the doctors knew.”
Bortner began chemotherapy right away. She had sixteen rounds over five and a half months, followed by a year of immunotherapy. In March 2024, she had a double mastectomy. Her doctors later confirmed that she was cancer-free.
Mochi stayed close to her through everything. “At the time, he was only 2 years old,” she said. “And I was like, ‘I cannot leave this earth before you do.’”
Even when she was exhausted or emotionally drained, simple tasks like feeding and walking him gave her reasons to get up and move. Mochi sat beside her during long naps and comforted her when she cried.
As her hair began falling out from treatment, Mochi would dig through the trash to find strands of it. “He would dig out my hair to smell me,” Bortner said.
Even after her treatment ended, Mochi still did this out of habit. The bond between them only grew stronger during those months. “He was there more than anyone else. He was my main guy.”
Bortner now helps others going through cancer by sharing her story and advice on her blog ‘Brave Beautiful Boobies’. “It just brings a smile to my face when things come full circle — and now I’m on the other end, mentoring people through their cancer journeys,” she said.
Though Mochi was never trained to detect illness, experts say dogs have an incredible sense of smell.
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health, explained, “There is evidence in the medical literature that they can in fact smell the abnormal cancer proteins.”
Dogs can detect volatile organic compounds — tiny chemicals released by cancer cells — through skin, breath, and other bodily fluids.
Mochi was never trained to detect cancer, but he noticed the changes in Bortner’s body and reacted. “We really underestimate how smart [dogs] are just because they don’t talk,” she said. “But their actions obviously show us the things that they’re tuning into or are aware of.”
This story shows us how God cares for every detail of our lives, even through the quiet actions of a faithful dog. He often brings help in ways we don’t expect.
Let’s thank Him for His care and pray for those walking through cancer, that they find strength, healing, and hope each day.
