ASDA IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF CUTTING EDGE CANCER RESEARCH

In addition to search and rescue operations, ASDA dogs have been involved in medical research studies  designed to examine dogs’ reliability in the detection of ovarian and thyroid cancer in human tissues and blood, urine, sweat and saliva.  The sensitivity and specificity matched, or exceeded, current diagnostic testing abilities.

The Instinctual Enhancement Training (IET) methods used in these studies were developed by our ASDA K9 trainer, Donna Waugh . The techniques were built upon search dog behavior, with a foundation in ethology.  We believe that our science-based approach to scent detection work will aid in early detection of cancers. 

ASDA USES ONLY REWARD BASED TRAINING METHODS.

For serious inquiries about our cancer research involvement, please contact ASDA president, Donna Waugh, at 501-350-9090 or by email: [email protected]

John D, a border collie mix, demonstrates his detecting skills during a training session for our human cancer detection study.

   ASDA is currently developing a program that will partner dedicated disease assistance/detection dogs to people living with ongoing illness. Each dog will be individually trained and permanently assigned to provide both therapeutic purposes and medical detection skills to its owner.