Black Mountain-based mold-sniffing dog helps homeowners
By Karrigan Monk
Published on April 2, 2026.
Jay Barham, a former resident of Black Mountain, started Mountain Mold Dog after Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina in 2024. His family adopted Gus, a schnauzer-poodle mix, and sent him to Florida where he trained for three months to identify mold. Gus can now identify 16 types of mold, which Barham believes can help identify thousands of variants of the molds. Barham and Gus are now working on noninvasive mold inspections across North Carolina, upstate South Carolina, East Tennessee, East Kentucky, South West Virginia and Northeast Georgia. They use this information to inform homeowners of their health and make recommendations for remediation.
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