Mold Dog of Virginia to the Rescue
By Brandy Centolanza
For years, Lacey Lee, who suffers from Lyme disease, had noticed her symptoms were exasperated in the one place where she thought she was safe—her home. The reason? Mold, which she eventually discovered was the cause of her health issues thanks to a dog who detected the toxin.
“I never thought that mold was the possible culprit; it wasn’t part of my vocabulary,” said Lee, who launched her business Mold Dog of Virginia last year to help prevent others from having to endure a similar experience.
“Most mold is hidden from the eye, behind floors, ceilings, or walls,” Lee said. “But dogs can sense it through smell. Losing my home was traumatic for me; it was life-changing. I knew I wasn’t going to buy a home again without a dog. I couldn’t resist sharing this with others, which is why I started the business.”
Florida-based Bill Whitstine, who is considered the pioneer of the mold dog industry, assisted Lee with getting to the root cause of her issue. Her dog, Rudy, a 2-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, later underwent extensive training for three months to become certified as a mold dog.
“Rudy is trained to identify all kinds of mold,” Lee said. “He sniffs every inch of a house that is safe, including crawl spaces and attics. He is the happiest dog in the world and wags his tail 24/7. He doesn’t know he has this superpower. He thinks he is just traveling and visiting with people. I’m so lucky to have such a great companion.”
Mold Dog of Virginia visits homes and businesses to determine if there is mold. On the job, Rudy will sit near an area he identifies as suspicious, and then Lee, who is certified as a mold inspector, will use additional equipment—including a moisture meter, a thermal imaging camera, a humidity monitor, and a borescope—to determine if mold is potentially present. She also offers test sampling through a collaboration with Hayes Microbial Lab to identify the type of mold. While she and Rudy can’t tell how much of a building has been compromised, they provide clients with a summary of what they think is the problem, along with next steps. The next step is typically hiring a human indoor environmental professional (IEP) to conduct more testing.
“Mold is not easy,” Lee said. “Usually, people contact me because someone in the home is sick. A lot of people underestimate their environment and aren’t thinking it could be the air that they are breathing, which is a big piece of the puzzle. If there is not a glaring, obvious issue, like water, they just assume everything is OK, but if they aren’t getting better, they need to rule out if it is their environment.”
While Lee is based in Norfolk and has a satellite location in Richmond, she and Rudy travel anywhere they are called to inspect a problem. Since the company’s inception, Lee and Rudy have visited 250 properties along the East Coast, in Colorado, and in Canada. Locally, they were recently hired to examine a storage unit facility in Virginia Beach for potential mold after being called on regarding a strong odor on the property.
Jennifer Slan of Chesapeake reached out to Mold Dog of Virginia when she was looking to purchase a home after having troubles with mold at a previous residence.
“From my very first conversation with Lacey, I felt understood and supported,” Slan said. “She was knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely invested in helping us make informed decisions. Throughout the process, she answered countless questions, checked in to see how things were progressing, and shared resources that proved extremely helpful. Rudy inspected two homes on which we had submitted offers. His work, combined with the findings of our home inspectors, helped us avoid purchasing properties that ultimately had significant concerns.”
Lee, who is certified through the National Organization of Remediators and Microbial Inspectors (NORMI), continues to educate herself on the industry to better serve her clients.
“Mold Dog of Virginia has become a purpose-driven business for me,” she said. “I want to continue helping families. If someone in their house is not well, that is important to me, and I want to help them heal.”
For more information on Mold Dog of Virginia, go to molddogofva.com.
