Not your typical bloodhound: Saskatoon dog donates blood 50 times

You could call Beef a true bloodhound.

So far, the mixed-breed dog has given blood a whopping 50 times, all at Saskatoon's Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

"His favourite thing in any month is going to the school [to give blood]," said Beef's owner, veterinarian Chris Clark. "He just loves people, he loves the students." 

Clark specializes in large animal medicine at the college.

During an interview on Saskatoon Morning, Clark said the dog's large size, combined with his friendly demeanour, made him an ideal candidate. Also, it turned out Beef has a special blood type.

"He's the dog equivalent of O negative, so he's a universal donor," explained Clark. "That's unusual, and really helpful from a veterinary standpoint." 

Tumour removed

Unfortunately, a malignant growth found on one of Beef's legs has meant the dog's days of donating blood have come to an end. 

While the tumour has since been removed and Beef's prognosis is good, Beef won't be able to give blood any longer.

While he doesn't have an exact figure, Clark said that Beef has likely saved many canine lives over the years with his donations.

"I know he's given about 55 pints of blood. So, whether each one of those [resulted] directly in saving an animal's life, I couldn't say, but it's got to be a fair number."