Dog Sniffs Out "1 In 22 Million" Kidney Donor For His Owner

Dog Sniffs Out "1 In 22 Million" Kidney Donor For His Owner

Dogs are often referred to as man's best friend, but they can also be seen as angels in many ways. Dogs have a special ability to bring joy and happiness into people's lives, and their unconditional love and loyalty are truly remarkable.

They can sense when their owners are feeling down and will do everything they can to comfort and protect them. This unwavering devotion and selflessness are what make dogs so special and angelic.

They are always there for their owners, no matter what, and can sometimes even act as guardian angels. Just take Indie, for example. When her owner was diagnosed with a terminal condition, Indie managed to sniff out the one person who could help: a total stranger!

According to Wales Online, 44-year-old Lucy Humphrey was told she had just 5 years to live after her kidney started failing.

Finding a kidney donor can be a challenging process, but it is crucial for those who suffer from kidney failure. There are several ways to find a kidney donor, including a living donation and a deceased donation, but even with those options, Lucy's outlook was grim.

A living donation involves receiving a kidney from a living donor, usually, a family member or friend, who is a suitable match. But for Lucy's case, finding a match was a much tougher situation due to her specific blood and tissue requirements.

Lucy and her partner, Cenydd, decided to make the most of her years left to live and were enjoying an overnight camping trip with their dogs Jake and Indie on Barry Island Beach.

During the trip, Indie kept running off to greet a stranger about 100 yards away. Despite Lucy calling Indie back, the dog kept running off to see the woman.

According to Wales Online, Cenydd eventually went over to the stranger, 40-year-old Katei James, to apologize for Indie's behavior. While chatting, he invited the woman over to their barbeque and she took him up on the offer.

From there, they all got chatting. Lucy mentioned she couldn't drink because she was on dialysis and that's when Katie revealed that she'd recently joined the kidney donation register to make an altruistic donation.

"We swapped telephone numbers. And to be honest I didn't think anything else would come of it," Lucy said.

Incredibly, after blood tests and scans were in, the results came back and Katie was a perfect match!

Lucy said, "A surgeon told us it's a 1-in-22-million chance to find the perfect match, and that's what I needed."

As summer went on, the two stayed in touch and prepared for the donation if all went well. Katie shared photos of a breakfast meetup they had in July and even Indie was invited to tag alone - the dog who started it all!

In late September, Katie took to Facebook to share the story of how she met Lucy and how she was more than happy to offer her a kidney.

The surgery happened on October 3rd, 2023 and seems to have gone off without a hitch. Thanks to Katie's generous donation, and Indie's impressive nose, Lucy can now defy the odds and continue to live.

Check out the BBC video below:
Malorie Thompson

Malorie works as a writer and editor in Northern California. She's passionate about food, conscious living, animal welfare, and conservation. She's worked with a variety of publications in different sectors but is happiest covering topics close to her heart. When not at her laptop, Malorie can be found enjoying picnics on the beach, hiking in the redwoods, and spending time with her rescue pup, Jax.

Back to blog

Help Animals That Need Medical Care

100% of your donation will fund medical care for pets in need!

1 10
View all