Battersea puppy, Chilli, has passed all his assessments to become a Bio Detection Dog.

He will become one of only a handful of dogs in the world that can detect the multi-drug resistant lung infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa).

Pseudomonas is the major cause of lung damage in Cystic Fibrosis, chronically infecting around 60 per cent of the 10,000 patients in UK.

He will start his official training as a Bio Detection Dog in the new year, learning the odour of Pa.

We joined forces with Battersea after they contacted us about a litter of puppies that had been born in their care

Chilli stood out as a confident, strong-willed puppy who loved to sniff and after an initial assessment by our Dog Supply Team, it was felt he could have the right attributes to become a Bio Detection Dog.

He has spent the last year in our puppy programme, living with volunteer puppy socialisers in a family home, who have helped ensure he remains confident, inquisitive and comfortable in all sorts of environments.

He did really well with his basic scent training, bonded with his trainers and continues to use his nose at every opportunity.

Last week, Chilli passed his final assessment and will now join a team of dogs learning to detect the odour of lung infection, Pa.

A 2019 scientific study in collaboration with MDD, Imperial College London and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust found that Bio Detection Dogs can detect ultra-low concentrations of Pa in cultured samples – with a sensitivity of 94.2% and a specificity of 98.5%. You can read more about this study here.

The successful training of Chilli and his other teammates could lead to faster, more accurate and non-invasive diagnosis.

Chris Allen, Head of Puppy Supply and Training at Medical Detection Dogs, says: “We are delighted that Chilli is now an official member of our Bio Detection team. He is full of personality, confidence and loves to use his nose which are all attributes we look for in a Bio Detection Dog.

“He needs to be assertive enough to tell us when he has found his target odour and when it is not present – and he will be rewarded for both decisions. He loves life at our training Centre where he gets dropped off for training in the morning and collected at the end of the day.

“Chilli’s journey is a special one – we’re so pleased to have found the perfect job and home for him.”

A spokesperson at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home said: “Everyone at Battersea was thrilled to hear that Chilli had passed his final assessment and will now be helping make a real difference to people’s lives as a Bio Detection Dog. While we believe that every dog and cat in our care is special, even as a tiny pup we knew that Chilli had something extra special about him. We’re so grateful to Medical Detection Dogs and the other charities we work with for seeing the potential in our dogs and giving them the wonderful lives they deserve.”

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “It’s incredibly rewarding to see this journey for Chilli come full circle. From Battersea giving him a second chance, to Medical Detection Dogs helping Chilli live up to his full extraordinary potential. It is amazing that funding raised by players of People's Postcode Lottery has helped make outcomes like this possible, transforming lives for both people and animals.”