Thursday, August 28th, 2003 — The Florida Canine Academy, which turns out bomb, drug, money, weapon, termite, and accelerant detection canine teams, has expanded its program to include training mold-sniffing dogs. After becoming aware of the growing problem of mold in homes and businesses, Bill Whitstine, the facility’s owner, worked with researchers to investigate the possibility that dogs could be trained to detect mold.
Whitstine looks for dogs who are 10 months to 3 years old, most of whom he obtains from the humane society. After 600 to 800 hours of individual training, a mold dog will recognize at least 18 different kinds of the most common toxic molds, including both active and inactive mold spores. If a dog alerts, there is a mold issue that signals a moisture problem, such as a leaky pipe.