• Couple notices strange behavior from their dog before disease diagnosis

An American couple credited their dog for saving their lives after it appeared to detect cancer in both of them early.

Chess Johnson (36) and Ben Byrne (48) from California noticed unusual behavior from their dog, Cito, without realizing it was linked to their health issues—until the connection became clear later.

Chess was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it was reported that the dog became anxious and started whining around her in January 2021.

Weeks later, Cito directly alerted her by nudging her chest with his nose, causing her some pain. Shortly afterward, Chess discovered a lump, which was later confirmed to be triple-negative breast cancer—an aggressive type that required chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery including some lymph nodes.

Chess said, “If he hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have discovered the disease.” Her oncologist later told her that delaying the examination could have been life-threatening, which came as a huge shock.

Later, the dog also alerted Ben at home with the same behaviors, and he was diagnosed with colon cancer, making it clear that Cito had warned them both about serious illnesses.

Chess added, “Cito has always been my little shadow; we’re very connected. We tried to understand what was happening, but he had already warned Ben about his cancer beforehand.”