Dogs Without Borders is relevant for Brand Experience & Activation because it redefines the overall patient experience for entire populations living in remote areas, by drastically shortening the distances between them and medical diagnostics. In these areas, many premature deaths could be avoided. So we partnered with SFBO and animal shelters to create Dogs Without Borders, an initiative that takes basic medical services to places doctors and diagnostics can’t reach.

We rescue dogs left to die in shelters and train them to detect disease in the remotest communities by simply sniffing odor samples, our medical dogs can detect illness.

According to the UN, while 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, billions of people live in remote and underdeveloped places far away from medical attention. In consequence, according to Forbes, half the world’s population has limited access to diagnostics, especially people in remote locations where simple routine exams like mammograms are still a distant reality.

In these remote areas many premature deaths could be avoided with just a simple test. That is why we partnered with SFBO to create Dogs Without Borders —- a first-of-its-kind initiative that uses medical dogs to sniff -out disease in remote areas where doctors and diagnostics are out of reach. Dogs Without Borders rescues dogs waiting to die in shelters and trains them to save people in isolated locations.

By sniffing out odor samples from locals, dogs can diagnose a diseases before it is too late, saving human lives in consequence.

In many developing countries such as Brazil and Morocco, a big part of the population lives in remote areas that lack access to hospitals and medical attention.Very often, small villages and communities don’t even have electricity to run the most basic diagnostic devices. And when they do, they don’t have financial resources to afford them. With that said, the overall perception of the project is so positive in every market the idea took place that SFBO is already in advanced talks with the government in countries like Brazil to make our four-legged friends part of the public health system. Dogs Without Borders became so relevant for many isolated communities in 3 different continents that the initiative is now on its way to become an independent NGO that can reach millions more living where doctors and diagnostics are a distant reality.

We partnered with SFBO a project founded by the internationally renowned Curie Institute, to create Dogs Without Borders — a first-of-its-kind initiative that uses medical dogs to sniff out disease in remote areas where doctors and diagnostics are out of reach. Dogs Without Borders rescues dogs waiting to die in shelters and trains them to save people in isolated locations.

Detection is possible thanks to a bone-shaped “odor collection kit” handed to locals with all they need for the collection: instructions, soap, gauze, and a thermal ziplock bag for the sample. The kit is designed to withstand harsh environments. After collection, the odor samples are sniffed by the dogs. The sooner they sniff them, the sooner patients can be sent for further analysis and treatment.

Cancer is just the beginning, we’re expanding to other diseases and countries.

The Dogs Without Borders project aims to bring diagnostic tests to remote places by training dogs rescued from shelters that were going to die to detect cancer and other diseases. By just sniffing an odor sample, they can diagnose a disease before it is too late, saving human lives in consequence.

We partnered with SFBO a dog cancer-detection group to create Dogs Without Borders — an initiative that rescues dogs waiting to die in overpopulated shelters and trains them to sniff out diseases such as cancer to help save lives in the world’s most remote and isolated communities, where doctors and diagnostics are out of reach.

It’s an entirely new approach to diagnostics. One that’s scalable, more affordable, yet as reliable as conventional diagnostics – and even more accurate in some cases.

We started designing our bone-shaped “odor collection kit” in April of 2022. The kit contains everything locals need to perform the collection themselves, and it’s designed to withstand the harshest environments.

Dogs started being rescued and trained also in April last year, and they became ready about 6-8 months later. Then, in January of this year, we started taking them to remote communities, including the Amazon forest in Brazil, the Sahara desert in Morocco and some small villages in Spain, places where the closest hospital is often hundreds of miles away.

According to scientists, dogs can be more accurate than our best diagnostic machines, but way cheaper, which makes them a scalable solution for areas that lack the financial resources and infrastructure to run expensive laboratory equipment.

SFBO is currently in talks with the federal government of countries such as Brazil to make dogs part of the public health system.

Since January 2023, over 1,000 patients have been reached and diagnosed, across three different continents, including Amazon Forest natives in Brazil and nomads in the Sahara desert in Morocco. The collected samples not only help save lives that could be lost if patients go undiagnosed, but they also become a tool for future research and dog training. With dogs being able to detect diseases like cancer with 100% accuracy, the governments in certain countries like Brazil are already in conversations with SFBO to make our four-legged friends part of the public health system.

Thanks to our affiliate program, Dogs Without Borders is expanding operations to tackle many other diseases such as malaria, COVID-19, diabetes, and Parkinson’s among others.

Dogs Without Borders is now on its way to become an independent NGO that can reach millions living in communities where doctors and diagnostics are out of reach.