Man is alive today, thanks to dog who detected breast cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so we’re thrilled to share an amazing story of how a dog saved his human’s life by helping detect a tumor.

Video: Scientists turn to dogs to help detect breast cancer

Even more amazing, the survivor, who seems to be an unlikely candidate, may have never considered that this disease could’ve affected him if it wasn’t for his pup.

New Hampshire man Mike Wagner was 50 years old when he was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, and his guardian angel came in the form of a dog named Buster.

“I have three Jack Russells, and the one, Buster, crawled up on my chest and he started sniffing around the area where I had the cancer. And he started to nudge it with his nose and I realized I had a bump there,” Wagner told Fox 25. “My doctor referred me to CMC breast care center and they did a biopsy and I found out I had breast cancer.”

Video: Woman's Dog Detects Breast Cancer

The cancerous mass has since been removed, and Wagner is “cautiously optimistic” about the longevity of his remission. Needless to say, he has a lot to thank Buster for.

As it turns out, breast cancer in men may be more common that most people think. Fox 25 reports, “According to the American Cancer Society, this year about 440 men will die from it in the U.S.”

To that, Wagner has some advice for men who may not realize that this disease can affect them.

“You’ve got to confront it because if you don’t, it’s going to travel somewhere else in your body to your bones or your brain. Oh, you might hear, ‘Oh Joe down the street died of bone cancer, but actually Joe down the street originally had breast cancer,” he said in the interview.

Video: Cancer detecting Dogs - Part 1 | Extraordinary Dogs

Watch the news segment below:

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Way to go, Buster! We’re so glad that Mike Wagner’s loyal dog was able to alert him to the problem. Best of luck to this man and all three of his Jack Russell pups.

(h/t: Fox 25)

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