A puppy named Chilli from the Battersea shelter in London is being trained to become one of only a few dogs in the world capable of identifying a specific lung infection in humans by scent.

Chilli has already passed all preliminary tests and is now learning to recognize the smell of Pseudomonas aeruginosa — a bacterium that is the leading cause of lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis, BBC reports. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease in which secretions in certain organs, including the lungs and airways, become thicker than normal and block the passages.

Born at the well-known Battersea shelter for dogs and cats in London, Chilli is being trained in diagnostics by the organization Medical Detection Dogs (MDD). This organization has already taught its dogs to detect nine different diseases by smell, including various types of cancer, malaria, and Parkinson’s disease.

Back in 2019, MDD, Imperial College London, and the UK Cystic Fibrosis Trust conducted experiments and found that dogs are able to detect even microscopic amounts of harmful bacteria. The animals involved in the trials correctly identified bacteria in 94% of infected samples and correctly recognized their absence in 99% of uninfected samples.

MDD says that the more diagnostic dogs they can train, the more medical professionals will be able to use them to make faster and more accurate diagnoses without resorting to invasive methods.

Chilli was specially selected from several puppies born at the Battersea shelter. According to MDD, from the very beginning Chilli proved to be a “confident, determined puppy who loves to sniff.”

“He has a strong personality, is confident, and loves using his nose — exactly the qualities we need in our ‘bio-detection dogs’ program,” says Chris Allen, head of dog selection and training at MDD. “He needs to persistently show us when he detects the target scent and when he does not. In both cases, he will be rewarded.”

According to Allen, the volunteers who are fostering Chilli at home bring him to the training center every morning and take him back in the evening, and he really enjoys being there.

“Chilli’s story is a special one, and we are delighted that he has found the perfect job and home,” Allen says. The Battersea shelter is also happy for their former resident.

“We believe all our dogs and cats are special, but Chilli stood out even as a tiny puppy,” a shelter representative told the BBC. “We are very grateful to MDD and other charities we work with for seeing the potential in our dogs and giving them the wonderful lives they deserve.”