For these working dogs, mold is gold
Meet the pups that lead inspectors to the source of trouble
By Max Barash
CNN
 |  Mold inspector Rebecca Rasmussen works with her smooth-coated fox terrier, Watson, to spot spores in a bathroom. |
|
Story Tools
|
| | PREVENTING MOLD | Although detection methods may differ, experts say prevention is the best medicine when battling mold.
Simple steps, like cleaning gutters and aiming sprinklers away from the home can greatly reduce the chances of mold growth, Lew Harriman, co-author of the Humidity Control Design Guide, said.
|
|
(CNN) -- Forget batteries, microchips and expensive air quality tests. Some experts simply reach for a bag of doggie treats when searching for pesky hidden house molds.
Animal trainer Bill Whitstine claims his Labradors, border collies, Jack Russell terriers and even mutts rescued from the pound have a better track record of detecting the tiny spores that sometimes linger inside walls, crawl spaces and attics. Traditional mold inspections require drilling in exactly the right place to find the root of the problem, a time-consuming and expensive process that can leave walls looking like Swiss cheese.
"We don't have X-ray eyes, but [the dogs] have X-ray noses," Whitstine said.
Since 1998, his Florida Canine Academy has prepared dozens of pooches for sniffing out mold.
The dogs are given between 800 to 1,000 hours of intense training, learning to respond only to scents produced by mold spores.
"There isn't anything technically advanced enough to pinpoint where the mold is except for the dogs," Rebecca Rasmussen, an Anoka, Minnesota mold inspector whose smooth-coated fox terrier, Watson, was trained by Whitstine.
"Technology has not caught up. The sensitivity isn't nearly as great as what the dogs have."
Research at Alabama's Auburn University seems to back up her claim. Scientists at the university's Canine and Detection Research Institute found that dogs can detect a scent that is only present in 1 part per every 2 billion air parts.
Battery-operated mold detection meters need thousands of times that level of concentration for detection.
"Mold dogs" complement the infrared cameras, fiber-optic scopes and lab tests used by traditional mold inspectors. By pointing out the places where they smell mold, the dogs allow the inspectors to collect better samples for testing.
This ability to locate and follow scents to their highest concentration sets the dogs apart from their digital counterparts and lowers the risk of unguided drilling that could spread mold to walls that are not infected.
"It's been good for business," Rasmussen said. "People trust the dog's opinion over the human's because they know the dog won't lie."
Another bonus with the dogs, Rasmussen said, is speed.
"It can take weeks to get test results back from a lab," she said. "We can go in a house and tell them that day if they have mold or not."
Whitstine follows similar guidelines and standards for training his mold dogs as he does for pups trained to detect arson or drugs.
Every year, the dogs and their trainers are urged to come back for refresher courses. It's important for the owners to be trained too because the biggest risk for an errant diagnosis, Whitstine said, is human handlers misreading their pets.
Whitstine said his dogs have been ordered from as far away as Finland. But his services don't come cheap. He charges $12,500 for his mold-sniffing canines, and he will train a dog brought to him for the same price.
"We have over 50 [mold dogs] in the country right now," Whitstine said. "I think within the next three to five years you'll see upwards of a thousand."
