Mold Sniffing Dog

Homeowners and business owners who are concerned about mold

can save time and money by having Fido sniff the walls!

Action News explains...
Friday on Action News at 11

This Dalmatian and lab mix is more than man's best friend, she is the secret weapon in Jason Earle's moldy mission. She's one of only 18 mold detection canines in the United States.

Scientists say a dogs sense of smell is several thousand times stronger than a human's. A quality that could come in handy since mold thrives in dark, hidden places.

Action News viewer Steve from Langhorne wants to know if mold could be hiding in his home.

"It seems all too frequently that we have some respiratory problem in the family, one of my kids, my wife, my wife's mother, it's always somebody."

While Oreo's nose costs about four-hundred-dollars for the first hour…

"Just so you're familiar with what she does when she alerts. this bag has got several different moldy items in it, so seek, seek, show me, show me again, good."

Impressive - but trick or training? To find out - Action News put Oreo to the test.

"Hey baby, come on."

It turns out Steve's house isn't ideal. There are too many distractions, Like multiple pets in the house.

"This is why this is just a tool, she's not a machine, she's an animal you know what I mean."

But watch what happens at one of our producer's homes.

"There you go.

Here Oreo alerts to a number of different places, especially downstairs.

"Oreo seek, Oreo seek."

"Seek, seek, seek, good girl. Show me. Show me again, good girl."

An independent lab confirms samples from the basement do show evidence of mold, but still skeptical?

"We're going to take these two bags filled with moldy building material and hide them - one in here."

"The other in here to see if she can find them."

It takes Oreo several attempts and a couple false alerts. But then…

"Seek, seek, good girl."

Moldy mission accomplished.

So how does oreo get paid? As you could probably see - lots of love and lots of food. Now even after you determine you have mold in your home - the next questions are what kind and what do you do about it?

Remember almost all of us have some molds in our house and not everyone is allergic to it.  So before you pay for mold testing or mold remediation - talk to your doctor as well as your insurance company, and do a lot of research.

And for more information on Oreo call 1-800-865-7775.
 

Last Updated: Apr 26, 2003

Reference: 6 abc Action News wpvi.com Philadelphia

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Mold Dog Does Free Mold Inspection At Stockton Borough School

STOCKTON, NJ, USA, Jul. 7 -/E-Wire/--The Borough School was inspected recently by Oreo, the Northeast’s first certified Mold Dog®, after Lab Results LLC offered the service free of charge to elementary schools in the tri-state area.

Chief School Administrator Suzanne Ivans was the first school official to respond to the offer from Lab Results, an indoor air-quality improvement company that specializes in mold detection and location.

“We got some very useful information,” said Ms. Ivans, “that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to get any other way. At the very least it would have been very time consuming.

“I would encourage other schools and businesses to utilize this service, and be more proactive in maintaining a healthy indoor environment for the people entrusted to them, especially the children,” she said. “By finding potential problems early they might be able to minimize costs and prevent a small problem from growing into a large and costly operation.”

Built in 1832, Stockton Borough School is the oldest and smallest K-6 school in New Jersey. Celebrating its 166th year, the school has a long record of being highly proactive in protecting the health and safety of its students.

The Mold Dog® inspection is offered – free of any monetary charge or obligation – for a limited time and on a first-come, first-served basis, to schools in the K-6 range in New Jersey and the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. Call 1-800-630-9047 for more information. Results of all inspections are confidential.

“Schools in which mold is found are under no obligation to use Lab Results LLC to assist in its removal,” said Jason Earle, founder of Lab Results. “This offer is our way of helping to protect the children in our communities from the health threats of mold.”

Mold Dogs® are the newest and most economical tool in the quest to protect people from the pervasive threat of mold in homes, schools and

offices. Mold Dogs® can quickly find hidden mold in any building, enabling the growth to be removed efficiently and economically.

Mold, and the toxins it produces, can cause severe health problems, including asthma, allergies, sinusitis, headaches, chronic fatigue, memory loss and even brain damage. Some diseases caused by mold can even be fatal. In modern, airtight buildings, mold can find places to grow more easily than ever before.

“Oreo is delightful,” Ms. Ivans said, “and it was touching to see such a wonderful bond between Oreo and Jason.”

Oreo, a one-year-old Labrador mix, is Lab Results LLC’s four-legged mold detective. She is one of fewer than two dozen animals in the U.S.

certified as Mold Dogs® by the Florida Canine Academy, which also trains canine teams for detection of bombs, drugs, money, weapons, termites and accelerants used in arson.

“Oreo is an intelligent mold inspector who can tell us precisely where

mold hides, behind walls, under floors, in ceilings or wherever it lurks,” said Earle. “Knowing where mold hides – and where it doesn’t – can save thousands of dollars in remediation costs.”

Lab Results LLC is an indoor air-quality improvement company based in Princeton, NJ. The company specializes in the detection and location of mold and its causes in all indoor environments including residential, commercial and industrial spaces.

SOURCE: Lab Results LLC -0- 07/07/2003
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"Meet Max, a mold-sniffing dog; He's been trained to find problems quickly"

The following is an excerpt from a May 8, 2003 Associated Press feature story by Michael Graczyk.

College Station, TX - Like illegal drugs, mold is now a problem worthy of canine intervention.

Texas A&M University veterinary school officials and a Houston businessman Thursday showed off Max, a year-old Border collie and Labrador retriever mix who's being touted as the state's first mold-detecting dog.

"We have been able to tap into a very wonderful sensory capability in a species we live with for the benefit of humans and the enjoyment of the animal," said Bonnie Beaver, professor of small animal medicine and surgery at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. "That's one of the plusses."

"He seems to enjoy it," said Eric Voss, who earned a graduate business degree from A&M in 1987, runs The Allergy & Health Store in Houston and is Max's owner. "He sniffs everything in a room."

(The Corpus Christi area has among the highest incidence of mold claims in the state - and the highest homeowners insurance rates. Insurance companies attributed the high rates largely to the mold claims.)

Max is a product of the Florida Canine Academy, a Clearwater, Fla.-based company that trains dogs for detection of explosives, drugs, money and now mold. Similar dogs have been introduced to markets in Florida and California. Max, who's undergone more than 1,000 hours of training since he was plucked from an animal shelter, is the first in Texas, Voss said.

"He's been taught to communicate," Voss said. "He's been taught to inspect homes for mold. I anticipate Max will be very successful."

'Seek, seek!'
At Texas A&M on Thursday, Max went through what was billed as his pre-employment physical before showing off his skills for reporters.

Urged by Voss to "Seek, seek!" Max sniffed at a series of closed containers before stopping at one that contained mold. He sat, looked up at Voss, pointed his nose back at the mold discovery, then with his tail wagging was rewarded with a treat - a piece of food.

Mold is a big business in Texas, which in 2001 accounted for 70 percent of all mold claims filed in the United States, according to the Texas Coalition for Affordable Insurance Solutions. Mold claims and remediation costs have been cited by insurance companies for soaring rates, particularly on homeowner policies. Mold also has been blamed for contributing to allergy problems in people. The humid, hot climate along the Texas Gulf Coast especially is conducive for growth of mold.

Extreme sensitivity
Voss, who said the services of his dog would cost customers upward of $500, said the dog's nose is more sensitive than more expensive mechanical devices in locating "microbial volatile compounds," meaning the dog can detect the source of mold more quickly. The idea is to use Max's efficiency to help reduce insurance remediation costs and ultimately contribute to lower insurance rates.

In a typical mold investigation, Voss said some of the cost is for laboratory testing of samples that may wind up negative for mold.

"Max becomes very valuable in that he pinpoints your laboratory sampling to areas he believes through his ultrasensitive nose have a high probability of mold," Voss said.

Compared to a dog, a human's sense of smell is no contest, Beaver said.

"The dog's brain area, the smell area, is over 10 times larger than it is in humans," she said. "But it's hard to set up studies that tell us exactly how good it is.

"It is so sensitive we can't even appreciate how well they can detect."

While Texas A&M has no business connection to Max, Beaver said the school is interested in the dog's abilities and in keeping him healthy. He will return to the school for periodic medical examinations.
 

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