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Frequently Asked Questions
Why choose a mold dog?
Dogs have approximately 50 scent receptors to every 1 human scent receptor, so their sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 stronger than ours. Dogs have been used for detection work for years in a variety of areas like explosives, drugs, bedbugs and many more
Is searching for mold
safe for the dog?
Yes, dogs have been trained to smell many more dangerous scents than mold, think accelerants and bombs. Dogs purge the air from their lungs by using the small slits on the side of their nose when they are scenting, this prevents the mold from entering his body. We also detox Acorn regularly as well as having him vet checked by a holistic vet twice yearly.
Why can’t I just use
air sampling to determine if I have mold?
While air sampling is a very common form of testing your property it can also be highly inaccurate as it can’t tell you exactly where the mold is located, while a dog can. Dogs can also detect dormant mold whereas air sampling can’t
If we use a mold dog,
do we need an ERMI
or other mold testing?
That is a personal preference, if you want to know what kind of mold is in your home you may want to also use other forms of testing besides our mold detecting dog
How was Acorn trained?
Acorn was trained for 3 months by Bill Whitstine who is a Certified Master Canine Trainer. Bill has been training dogs to detect everything from bombs to accelerants to bedbugs and mold. Acorn trains every day and is recertified yearly by Bill
Can the mold dog specify quantity of mold?
No, it can just tell you where the mold is
What is the process?
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We start by doing a visual inspection of your home, without the dog, to get the layout of the property. We will also discuss with you any known issues with the property, as well as anything else you think we need to be aware of
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Next we will bring Acorn in and he will start his search. We will then mark all the areas that Acorn finds mold
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Finally we will go over what Acorn found and discuss your next steps
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We want you to join us in the inspection
Accuracy of a mold dog?
Dogs' keen sense of smell makes them extremely accurate in the detection of mold. They have a 90% accuracy rate
How long does an inspection take?
It depends on the size of your property and we want to be as thorough as possible with our search
Can they detect
mold in the ceiling?
Yes, the mold particles and spores fall to the floor where the dog can detect them, and the trained handler can see where points to to give us a more precise location
How much does an inspection cost?
It will depend on the size of your property and where you're located as there may be additional travel costs
What would someone see if they were
watching a mold dog inspect their home?
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1st we come in and meet the person and do a visual inspection, making sure any household pets are safely secure and household items are secure as well.
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We want to also make sure that the environment is safe for the dogs, no mouse traps or things like that
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After that we bring in the dog and do a systematic search
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The dog is always leashed and we work clockwise, making sure to cover all areas
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We don’t take the dog into attics, as that becomes a safety issue
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We search right to left and search the furniture, walls, windows, everything
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The dog will sit when it smells mold and then then will point in the direction the mold is located, or even more than one direction
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I like the owner to be with us during the inspection, so they can see for themselves what the dog is alerting to
Do you do remediation work as well?
No, we just do the detecting, you will want to connect with a qualified mold remediation company to rid your house of mold. We can however return to your house before everything is put back together, to make sure all the mold has been removed
What forms of payment
do you accept?
Debit/credit cards and cash. We do not accept checks
Where do you travel?
We will travel pretty much anywhere.
Do the mold spores
have to be active?
Can the mold be inactive or just fragments?
Mold Dogs can pick up both viable and dormant mold spores, wet or dry. This differs from using moisture meters and infrared, as those options won't be able to detect the nonviable/dormant mold spores, so dogs can be more accurate.