Gila, the Mold Sniffer
After eight months' training at a Swedish dog obedience school, Gila, a
Pembroke bitch, and her owner/handler Eva-Lotta Nordh qualified as a
mold sniffer team. Prior to the training course Gila's motivation for
nose work and her perseverance were tested. Equally Eva-Lotta's
aptitude as handler was tested. For two months Gila was trained on pure
cultures of the most commonly found molds in buildings. The remainder
of the course Gila was trained to find genuine mold in various types of
buildings.
One day during the course, the instructor, who had been observing Gila
closely, asked Eva-Lotta whether the corgis were bred for nose work.
During his 15 years as instructor he had never seen a dog like her.
Gila was searching for mold as if she had never done anything else. On
arrival at a client's home she knows exactly what is expected of her
and proceeds like a vacuum cleaner. She systematically searches the
room and starts scratching when she has sniffed mold or a microorganism
in the construction.
Here it is, right here!
The obvious advantage in using a corgi for this kind of work is their
small size and their zeal. Corgis can easily squeeze into small rooms
or under beds. It is up to the handler to detect the dog's possible
scratching.
Many clients expect a dog of the Labrador kind and are quite surprised
when Eva-Lotta lifts her small dog out of the car. However, after the
job is done they are all very impressed by Gila's efforts.
Abstracted from the Swedish Welsh Corgi Club's Newsletter 2/2005
English translation by ANo
02.03.2012
