Rescue dog becomes mold detector for owner who is sensitive to spores

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - On the outside, Buddy runs, jumps and keeps his sister in check. But inside, he likes a quiet round of hide and seek, and his favorite game comes with a prize for both Buddy and his owner Lacey Calmes.

After being misdiagnosed for years, it was finally determined mold makes Lacey sick - but it was also discovered that a dog could help make her better.

"For a lot of my life I had migraines, headaches, body aches runny nose with no source no reason we couldn’t figure it out why," explained Lacey.

So Buddy not only came to the rescue, but he also came from a rescue, with his calm demeanor and eager to please personality he made the perfect partner. He could be trained to detect mold, and now Buddy’s nose knows when and where there is mold which helps keep Lacey safe.

Bill Whitstine with Florida K-9 trained Buddy in three months to detect mold using jars with mold and without, sometimes on the spinner or somewhere else in the room.

So with Buddy finding the mold, Lacey could hire someone to get rid of it. Whitstine says these fluffy mold detectives are about 95% accurate and can do more than just test for mold in the air or on a surface.

"The dog doesn’t just tell you, you have mold," explained Whitstine. "It points out the exact location of where the mold is at. So it’s much more accurate than the traditional methods, it’s faster and you know exactly where it’s at so you know if you have it, where it’s at and remediate it."

Now, Lacey’s environment is free of mold. But Lacey isn’t just using Buddy’s skills for herself she’s taking him out on the road to help others. He’s now part of a company called "Canine Mold Detective." Buddy will train every day, playing a game he loves with his little black sniffer changing lives and making people healthier and happier.