ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 She\u2019s built like a police dog and trained like one, but Radar\u2019s mission is very different, and it could be impacting your health right now.<\/p>\n
As you watch her work, and it\u2019s clear she\u2019s locked onto something. What she\u2019s detecting, though, isn\u2019t visible to the human eye.<\/p>\n
A mold sniffing K-9 about to alert on a small piece of mold hidden in the cabinet. (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
\u201cHer nose is super sensitive. She could detect really the littlest amount,\u201d her handler, Paul Lutwin, explains.<\/p>\n
Lutwin is the founder of Mold Testers 407 and Radar is their star employee.<\/p>\n
Radar isn\u2019t sniffing for narcotics or explosives. She\u2019s trained to find mold that\u2019s a widespread problem across Central Florida homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the same training that law enforcement uses, military uses. Scent detection training is all the same. It\u2019s just a scent that\u2019s completely different,\u201d Lutwin said.<\/p>\n
Radar, a Belgian Malinois, is part of a specialized effort to uncover hidden mold behind walls, under floors, and inside areas homeowners rarely think to check.<\/p>\n
According to Lutwin, Florida\u2019s climate makes it a hotspot.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrlando area is the number one state for mold, followed by Tampa, then Miami. Being inland seems to be more humid, and a lot of the homes in this area have crawl spaces, and that affects the indoor environment. So it\u2019s a big problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mold isn\u2019t just a property issue. Experts say it\u2019s also a health concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen people with major neurological issues from mold contamination inside the house where people can\u2019t think, they have brain fog, they can\u2019t walk\u2026 all the way down to rashes, memory loss, respiratory issues. It affects everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many of those symptoms can be easy to dismiss.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing very lethargic, everybody complaining that they\u2019re tired, they don\u2019t have the energy anymore, they can\u2019t sleep, nose bleeds, rashes, respiratory issues, eye irritation, brain fog, memory loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
The challenge is that mold often hides out of sight making Radar\u2019s skill especially valuable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I put that collar on, she knows she\u2019s going to find some mold,\u201d Lutwin said.<\/p>\n
And when she does, her alert is subtle.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer alert is to hold still and then plop – which is in a down position. She\u2019ll basically just point and hold that position. And that\u2019s an alert.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mold sniffing K-9 “Radar” has alerted on a piece of mold in the cabinet. (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
That quiet signal has helped uncover problems others missed.<\/p>\n
In one case, a homeowner went through multiple inspections and costly repairs without answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had mold assessment companies, assessment after assessment. Nobody could really isolate the issue,\u201d Lutwin said. \u201cWent out there, walked her around, got into the master bathroom area – and boom. She just hit right on that tile wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind it was a hidden leak and significant mold growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure enough, there was a ton of mold behind there.\u201d<\/p>\n
A $30,000 bathroom renovation, he said, had failed to catch it.<\/p>\n
Experts warn the risk increases after heavy rains, hurricanes, and prolonged humidity which are all common in Florida.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the time people feel something and then they actually take action, it\u2019s beyond a small little issue. It becomes a big problem at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lutwin advises homeowners to trust their instincts if something feels off.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think you don\u2019t feel well inside and it\u2019s not the common cold, and you went to the doctor and they can\u2019t figure it out, have your indoor air quality, your indoor environment tested.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cost concerns may also be less of a barrier than people think.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they deny you, you\u2019re in the same boat anyway. Most of the time, if it\u2019s a real loss, they\u2019ll cover that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lutwin say there are some things you can be on the lookout for detect a hidden mold problem in your home:<\/p>\n
A musty or damp odor<\/p>\n
Visible water stains<\/p>\n
Discoloration on walls<\/p>\n
High humidity levels <\/p>\n
Water damage<\/p>\n
Dark spots on walls or ceilings<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 She\u2019s built like a police dog and trained like one, but Radar\u2019s mission is very…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":240109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1684,6919,571,1644,1335,139,141,140,2546],"class_list":{"0":"post-240108","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-features","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-housing","12":"tag-orange-county","13":"tag-orlando","14":"tag-orlando-headlines","15":"tag-orlando-news","16":"tag-strange-florida"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}