Trained Dog Detects Chinese Drywall, Avoiding Demolition

By Jim Greene

Published on February 04, 2010

Identifying Chinese drywall in a house was a destructive and expensive job, until a Florida man put a dog to work sniffing it out. Shadow the German shepherd is saving homeowners time, money, and a big mess.

Since dogs have already been trained to sniff out drugs and explosives, Anthony Gimenez of Professional Building Inspectors in Manatee County, southeast of Tampa, thought they could be used to recognize the smell of toxic fumes said to be emitted by Chinese drywall. In partnership with Von Asgard K9 Center of Myakka City, Gimenez formed K9 Detection Service.

Chinese Drywall Fumes Blamed for Damage, Illness

In hundreds of product liability lawsuits, Chinese drywall has been blamed for damage to homes and health across the country, but especially in Florida and other southeastern states where it was used not only to fuel the housing boom of the last decade, but also to rebuild after two hurricanes.

The fumes said to be emitted by Chinese drywall are blamed for corrosion of air conditioning coils, wiring, plumbing, and household items, including jewelry. Numerous health problems have also been reported, mostly respiratory in nature.

Until Shadow was on the job, the best way to identify suspected Chinese drywall was to tear some out and look for manufacturers' markings on the back of the wallboard.

Dog Easily Finds Imported Wallboard

After training, Shadow's abilities were tested on a house known to contain Chinese drywall. The dog correctly located the imported building material. Trainer Jeremiah Comes said the easiest place for the dog is in the cutout for an electrical outlet, because the core of the wallboard is left exposed.

If you have suffered damage to your home or to your health and suspect that Chinese drywall is the culprit, it's time to contact an experienced product liability attorney. It you can't hire Shadow or one of his friends, and you don't want to start demolishing your home, your attorney will fight to get documentation from your homebuilder to show what's in your walls.

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