Meet Angus — an adorable two-year-old English springer spaniel, and the first certified C. difficile detection dog in Canada.  

C. difficile is a superbug that attacks people whose immune systems have been weakened by antibiotics. It’s the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitals and long-term care facilities. One way to help combat the disease is by detecting and eradicating the bacterium from areas of the hospital where it might otherwise go unnoticed.

Enter Angus, a two-year-old English springer spaniel who has been trained to sniff out C. diff. He began his training two years ago, and is now working at Vancouver General Hospital. To date, Angus is the only certified C. diff detection dog in Canada.