text: You’ve found the house of your dreams – but you want to make sure the costly nightmare of dry rot isn’t lurking under the carpets and skirting boards. The solution? Call in the dogs! The appropriately named Mark Doggett has trained his two animals to sniff out the destructive fungus in old houses where it can hide in places a person would miss. Mr Doggett gave up a ten-year career in construction after hitting on the idea to set up a business using the animals’ sense of smell, which is said to be up to a million times better than that of humans. Skilled: Meg and Jess, pictured with Mark Doggett, were trained for six months to sniff out dry rot . On the case: Four-year-old Border collie Meg gets down to work sniffing out the destructive fungus . When they find dry rot they stop, stare at it and point with their nose, only moving from the affected area when Mr Doggett gives them a special signal . After six months of training, four-year-old border collie Meg and 22-month-old English springer spaniel Jess went to work. When they find dry rot they stop, stare at it and point with their nose, only moving from the affected area when Mr Doggett gives them a special signal. The businessman, 30, from Wolverhampton, whose company is called Enviro-Dogs, said: ‘We’re unique in offering a dry rot detection service using dogs to the public. The dogs can go out to domestic properties or surveyors can hire us as part of their report. Dry rot is wood decay caused by the fungus Serpula lacrymans that digests the parts of the wood which give it strength. By the time there are visible signs, serious damage will have been done. It begins as a microscopic spore but the final stage is a fruiting body which pumps out new spores. Once airborne they can damage all parts of a property, penetrating brickwork and concrete floors seeking a wood source. If not treated, it can destroy a building. “It’s not really work for the dogs – they see it as the best game in the world and they enjoy it because it’s working on their natural instincts. The dogs are so effective because they can detect dry rot at much earlier stages. ‘In hidden places dry rot can grow for years without anyone noticing it. It can be hard to find but the dogs can detect it through carpet and wall panelling. ‘It takes a couple of minutes for the dog to search a room. People are slightly dubious when they first hear about us but after seeing what we can do they’re amazed.’ Prices start at £200 for a call-out and the business has been so successful Mr Doggett plans to expand it by training the dogs to hunt out bed bugs for hotels and hospitals. The businessman, 30, from Wolverhampton, whose company is called Enviro-Dogs, said: ‘We’re unique in offering a dry rot detection service using dogs to the public.' By the time there are visible signs of dry rot, serious damage will have been done . To call out Mr Doggett and his pair of sniffer dogs to hunt for dry rot cost £200 . Mr Doggett now plans to train his dogs to sniff out bed bugs for hospitals and hotels .
target: Mark Doggett has trained his two dogs to sniff out the destructive fungus .
  His Border collie and English springer spaniel had six months training .
  When they find dry rot they stop, stare at it and point with their nose .