© 2010 Enviro-Clean Northwest • Port Angeles WA • (360) 670-4595 • paul@envirocleannw.net
About Enviro-Clean - Mold Detection Dogs
About Enviro-Clean
Paul Collins has worked with dogs off and on his entire life, and that passion is one of the reasons he founded Enviro-Clean. He always knew he wanted to pursue a career with dogs, but after a close friend had severe medical issues linked to toxic mold he decided to combine dogs and mold detection. At that time the first mold dogs were coming out of training. A few years later, thanks to a lot of hard work and an unwavering commitment, Enviro-Clean Northwest became a reality in October 2006 when Paul went to train with his partner Zena.

Paul and Zena were trained at the Vom Kaiserhofe Training Center (now Iron Heart K-9 Training Center) in Lawrence, Kan. by Tom Brenneman. Tom has been training canines since 1976. In addition to Tom, the two have trained with Andy Jimenez of Falco K9 Academy in Brea, Calif. and the two participate in continued training annually. Both Tom and Andy are master trainers.
Paul and Zena have logged hundreds of hours together. The teamwork between the two is what allows them to be so effective in detecting mold. Between Zena’s nose and Paul’s training as a Certified Mold Inspector, you can be sure you are getting a thorough inspection. Though Paul has several tools in his arsenal, Zena is the “nose that knows” mold.
About Mold Detection Dogs
- David Latimer, Master K-9 Trainer FSI K-9 Academy, Vincent, Alabama.
The use of dogs for mold detection began in Europe over 20 years ago. The Europeans invented this method of detecting mold and refined it to the point of its becoming a very reliable inspection method. In America, dogs are a more recent addition to the mold inspector’s available set of tools. Their use is becoming more widely accepted and many cases of early mold infestations have been detected and remediated before any adverse health affects were experienced by the home-owners who employed the dogs.

Dogs have a very sensitive olfactory system and are a valuable tool to the mold investigation procedure. It has been proven that canines can detect the presence of some substances in concentrations of parts per trillion. It is not known just how prolific all species of mold are in odor production. However, based on trained dog’s track records in finding hidden mold that was later confirmed through lab testing it is safe to assume that dogs can detect unseen mold in very small quantities. This means that molds that may have been missed in the past by other instruments and conventional detection methods can now be located and detected using these specially trained canines or mold dogs as they are commonly referred to.

Fungus and molds come in a diverse array of colors, growth patterns and forms. Mold colonies can exist in a variety of locations often not visible to humans, such as behind walls and under floor-boards A dog’s keen sense of smell however gives it the ability to locate this “invisible” mold. If a mold infestation starts behind a wall, by the time it becomes visible there is a fairly large infestation. A mold dog can detect this mold before it grows to the point of visibility. Mold dogs have “X-ray” noses and can detect very small traces of the odor generated by mold. This allows a human inspector to detect mold growth early, many times preventing the exposure of a structures occupants to the health risks associated with mold.