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Super sniffers
Dogs trained to find bedbugs, mold
By THOMAS MICHALSKI
Article published on Friday, Sept. 22, 2006 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/092206_fpg-01.jpg) |
| Photo by THOMAS MICHALSKI |
| Douglas J. Summers trains mold dog Scoobie-MD. His other dog, a Beagle named Abbey, detects bedbugs. |
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PINELLAS COUNTY – Most dogs are trained to fetch or chase a Frisbee. Others catch criminals or search for bodies as cadaver dogs. But Abbey the beagle is one of few dogs trained to nose out bedbugs.
And her partner, Scoobie-MD, a kind of Hungarian Pointer, earns his keep as a mold dog.
Together they work for Treasure Island-based Mold Dog Environmental Services Inc. that serves the five-county area and beyond.
Owned and operated by Douglas J. Summers, a former psychiatrist, St. Pete Beach firefighter and Sunstar EMT, the dogs sniff out things that are harmful to man.
Mold is one of the greatest indoor health threats. It comes from leaks, showering, washing clothes and even cooking. All release moisture into the air that creates mold.
Summers launched the business after selling the Summers Mobile Home Park in Pinellas Park that his parents purchased in 1959.
“I needed something to do,” the Pinellas County native said.
He spent 15 years as a psychiatrist counseling violent criminals until he burned out. As a St. Pete Beach firefighter he suffered permanent injuries during a toxic fire.
Scoobie-MD is a product of the Florida K-9 Academy of Safety Harbor, which trains dogs to detect bombs, arson, termites and, of course, mold. The beagle, Abbey, currently is in training. She recently demonstrated her abilities at a bedbug seminar sponsored by the National Pest Management Association in South Carolina.
Bedbugs are a major problem in the Orlando and Miami areas, where foreign tourists unknowingly bring them into the country.
They aren’t pretty, either. With a sucking horn on the top of their head they feed on blood that can leave people sick and, in extreme cases, dead.
Mold has been around since the beginning of time. When killed it turns to dust that causes allergies and other problems.
“Mold is everywhere and needs very little to survive,” Summers said.
It likes sheetrock, pressed wood and carpeting. It also lives in furniture and clothing.
The problem has increased in recent years because of the new materials used for building construction. Moisture is trapped inside walls and between floors where mold sets up housekeeping.
“It never sleeps,” Summers said. “You can kill it, but it comes back as a powder and can be very harmful in that state.”
There are thousands of mold varieties. They break down materials, but cause a variety of illnesses such as allergies to respiratory infections.
Hurricane and flood-damaged homes in New Orleans and elsewhere are very susceptible to mold.
Summers’ company serves clients in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk and other areas.
His most interesting case was searching for spores in a Birmingham, Ala. school. It involved a lawsuit so he could not get into specifics.
Summers said the Florida rain season creates the most mold problems. Roofs leak, porches leak and things get wet. That’s what mold likes.
“Toxic mold in homes is becoming more common,” Summers said.
Many problems materialize from the lack of education and bad information about mold.
Scoobie-MD can detect potential problems quicker, more accurately and cheaper than most high-tech devices.
Those interested in more information can contact Summers at 443-1961.
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Article published on Friday, Sept. 22, 2006
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