One of the Chippewa Valley's more unusual small businesses relies on two four-legged employees to find a problem most people cannot see or pinpoint on their own.
Pawsitive Mold Detective, based in the Eau Claire area, is run by Stephanie Sorensen and her son Hunter Sorensen. Their dogs are Acorn, an eight-and-a-half-year-old Border Terrier, and Rip, a four-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
Both dogs completed about three months of specialized training in Florida, learning to alert to mold odors in much the same way detection dogs alert to other target scents. When Acorn detects an odor, he sits and then points his head toward the source when asked to show his handler, and handlers mark the spots with blue painter's tape for follow-up investigation.
Stephanie Sorensen founded the business in July 2024 after mold in her own home was linked to vertigo and sinus infections, and after inspectors struggled to locate where the mold was coming from until trim was pulled away. She said mold can hide behind walls, trim and flooring, as well as in heating and cooling systems and furnishings.
The team is based in west-central Wisconsin but travels through the Midwest and farther, with past work that has included condos in New York City and homes in Hawaii.
