WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Pawsitive Mold Detective may be one of the Chippewa Valley's most unique small businesses – and its "employees," dogs Acorn (pictured) and Rip, are the stars.

If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? MOLDBUSTERS!

Instead of tracking down things paranormal in nature, these busters are in the mold biz – and you've probably never seen a crew like this one.

Pawsitive Mold Detective is owned and operated by local mother-son duo, Stephanie and Hunter Sorensen. They're the proud handlers of four-legged mold detectives, Acorn and Rip.

Acorn is Stephanie's eight-and-a-half-year-old, 19-pound, cute-faced, brown-like-an-acorn-furred Border Terrier; Rip is Hunter's four-year-old, 88-pound, smiley-faced, light, tan-colored Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

The dog duo aren't just wearing the uniform, either – they earned them. Both Acorn and Rip  underwent approximately three months of specialized training in Florida to do what they do; they work similar to drug detection dogs, trained to alert and locate the source of specific odors. 

The dogs are trained to alert us, their handlers, when they detect an odor. Acorn, for example, alerts by sitting and then I ask him to ‘show me.’ He will point his head in the direction of the mold source, above, below or beside him. –Stephanie Sorensen, founder of Pawsitive Mold Detective

In this case, the dogs specialize in scenting mold spores floating around in the air. While mold spores are naturally present in just about every air space, in a home, mold can be hiding in the HVAC system; behind walls, trim, flooring and other building materials; plus furniture, books and, well, nearly anything.

If you've never heard of mold-detecting dogs, you aren't alone. This niche is relatively uncommon throughout the United States, with Acorn and Rip now among a relatively small group of specially trained dogs working nationwide. 

While Pawsitive Mold Detective is based in west central Wisconsin, the handlers and their dogs travel throughout the Midwest and beyond. Their work has brought them to condos in New York City and homes in Hawaii, helping clients locate potential mold sources in their residences and businesses.

Acorn, a Border Terrier.

So, How Do They Do It? 

Having seen them in action myself, I can say observing these mold detective dogs in-action at a client’s home is amazing.

To get the dogs focused, the handlers offer Acorn and Rip a treat before saying, “seek.”

“The dogs are trained to alert us, their handlers, when they detect an odor. Acorn, for example, alerts by sitting and then I ask him to ‘show me.’ ” Stephanie said. “He will point his head in the direction of the mold source, above, below or beside him.”

Rip with his handler, Hunter Sorensen.

The handlers give the dogs verbal praise followed by another reward – a treat – before walking to another spot in the room for detection.

As the handlers work through each room, moving in a clockwise direction, they mark locations the dogs have pointed to as potential mold spots with blue painter's tape to indicate where homeowners and business owners should investigate further.

“One of our first inspections involved an L-shaped couch,” Stephanie recalled. “Acorn didn’t alert to the first two cushions, but he alerted to the next three. The homeowner said, ‘oh, that’s where my husband spilled coffee.’

“The homeowner wanted to know whether it was just the cushions or the couch itself, so we removed the cushions and placed them on the other side of the room in an area Acorn had already checked,” she said. “When we walked by, Acorn sat. I asked him to ‘show me,’ but he was being a little lazy about it, so I asked again.

“Apparently, he thought I was being an idiot because he reached out and smacked the cushion with his foot, as if he was saying, ‘it’s right here in front of your face! How many times do I have to tell you?’ ”

After that interaction, the movement – Acorn using his foot to indicate potential areas with mold – became his go-to. Now, Stephanie said, whenever Acorn indicates something. below him, he taps his feet along with looking down.

Getting Into The Mold Biz

Dogs are Stephanie’s life. Locals with furry friends of their own may recognize her as the founder of Eau Claire grooming business Paws & Claws (3820 Old Town Hall Rd.), which opened in 1996. Over the years, that biz expanded into boarding and doggie daycare.

She sold the business just shy of her 30-year ownership anniversary, in late December 2025. (It still operates as Paws & Claws today!)

She's not out of the dog-care business, though. Stephanie and her husband, Kirk, purchased Eau Claire's Pet Food Plus (2819 E. Hamilton Ave.) in 2001 and continue to operate it now. Stephanie and Kirk have four children, though Hunter is the only one that still lives in-state. 

“All four of us kids helped with the family businesses in one way or another,” Hunter said. “I also spent time around Paws & Claws, Mom’s boarding and doggie daycare business, so I’ve been around dogs and other animals my whole life.”

“When I turned 16, I decided I wanted to try working somewhere other than the family businesses,” he continued, resulting in his former career in sales. “I guess I couldn’t stay away from the family businesses forever though, because I started getting involved with Pawsitive Mold Detective about seven months after Mom got the business up and running.”

That's one of the frustrating things about mold. It can be hiding behind walls, trim, flooring, and other building materials. You can have a problem and have absolutely no idea it's there. –Stephanie Sorensen, founder of Pawsitive Mold Detective

Rip, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

Stephanie founded Pawsitive Mold Detective in July 2024 out of necessity and personal experience. She and her husband's bi-level home – after using whole-house humidifiers and lower-level windows were left open on occasion – got mold, which led to vertigo and sinus infections for Stephanie. 

While treating Stephanie, a functional medicine doctor commented, “I really wish we had a mold detection dog around here.” Stephanie’s response: “They do that?!”

Shortly afterward, Stephanie started training for mold detection with Acorn, down in Florida. Hunter did the same with Rip.

As for Stephanie and Kirk's home – it ended up being razed. After Stephanie connected her health issues to the house, three different mold inspectors came out and concerns around mold were raised – but they didn't know where the mold was coming from.

“I finally asked (the third mold inspector) to pull off a piece of trim to see what was behind it. Sure enough, there was mold!” she continued. “That’s one of the frustrating things about mold. It can be hiding behind walls, trim, flooring, and other building materials. You can have a problem and have absolutely no idea it’s there.”

“And that’s where the dogs come in! Our trainer has told us that mold detection dogs can achieve approximately 90% accuracy,” Stephanie said.

Acorn with his handler, Stephanie Sorensen.

Pawsitive Mold Detective's own inspections (and associated costs) depends on time spent by Acorn and Rip's, size of a property and potential travel costs. The team – Stephanie and Acorn, Hunter and Rip – want to be as thorough as possible.

If their busy schedule is any indication, Pawsitive Mold Detective has been a big success already in just its first couple years.

For more information on Pawsitive Mold Detective, visit www.pawsitivemolddetective.com. For inquiries, reach out via email (info@pawsitivemolddetective.com) or call and text at (715) 894-7665. Keep up with the locally-based team on Facebook.