We know that dogs work. Most of us recognize them in traditional fields of work. Did you know that their most recent jobs are in Real Estate applications?
Dogs and many other animals have a much keener sense of smell than we humans do. Dogs are unique in their combination of sensitivity in olfactory discrimination, their trainability for signaling the presence of specific chemicals, and manageability in a variety of environments.
Humans have capitalized on these two traits for many applications.
- tracking criminals
- search and rescue operations
- detect narcotics and explosives
- arson investigations to detect accelerants since they are much more accurate at discriminating between accelerants and by-products of combustion than field VOC detectors.
- melanomas
- discriminate between normal and transformed cells
- predict the onset of epileptic seizures.
- detect leaks in natural gas pipelines
- detect organochlorines (OC) in soils responsible for high OC residue levels in beef cattle
- detect toluene and chlorinated solvents
- screen plumbing fixtures in schools and health care institutions for mercury
- specific compounds associated with explosives and narcotics at air concentrations below 1 ppb
- Covid 19 detection
- dogs can also detect a target substance even in the presence of relatively high concentrations of extraneous odors
Real estate applications:
- termite inspections
- mold and mildew
- pre-sale inspections
- guide remediation activities
- post cleanup clearances
This mold detection application was originally pioneered in Sweden. An industry is developing in the U.S. with dogs trained to alert on up to 20 species of molds and mildews.
According to Sandra L. Bird, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ecological Research Division, use of detection dogs can significantly reduce sampling costs required to unequivocally identify the culprit in indoor air contamination and increase assurance of adequate cleanup.
Mason, the professionally trained mold sniffing detective and the team at Dog Gone Mold can inspect your home or office for mold. Contact us to book your inspection and check out our wonder dog in action.