You’ve heard of dogs being used to sniff out bombs, drugs, even track people when their trails go cold.

But how about dogs that can sniff out potentially dangerous mold in people’s homes?

One company says it’s true. They say their 3-year-old Giant Schnauzer is a four-legged mold inspector.

These days Ebony is making the rounds- especially in homes like this where sales are pending.

Families know the dangers of mold so they contact Top Dog Inspection Services.

“Absolutely it could be a deal breaker. The home is the number one investment people make usually and so when they’re buying a home they don’t want any hidden surprises,” said owner Mike Lanius.

A preliminary walk-through revealed an area possibly affected by mold. Then enters Ebony.

“Her nose is like an x-ray. She can see behind the walls, what’s going on behind walls,” Lanius said.

Ebony sniffs her way around until she finds a trace. She helps the human inspectors find mold that they can’t always see or smell.

Her owners say she’s not only a family pet, but a colleague.

“She enjoys being with the family but honestly she really enjoys working and she’s a much better pet now that she has a job to do,” said Melenda Lanius.

And Ebony has attracted a segment of dog-loving clientele.

“There’s a lot of people that love animals and love pets and it’s a great way to relate to your customers,” Melenda said.

“Every morning I’ll ask her if she’s ready to go to work and she beats me to the door every day,” Mike Lanius said.

Top Dog inspectors still take air samples or swab mold for further testing.

Boo Boo the Chihuahua is the world smallest dog.

At just four inches tall, the diminutive dog in Raceland, Kentucky now has the very big title of smallest in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records made it official.

Lana Elswick says her Chihuahua Boo-Boo was born the size of her thumb. Elswick says from the beginning she knew her dog was special, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that she knew just how special.

The Guinness Book now considers the full-grown though petite pet the smallest dog in the world, nearly an inch smaller than the previous record holder.

A Dallas family lost everything when fire ripped through their home around 5:30 a.m. Sunday.

The family was sound asleep when an electrical outlet caught fire in the 2600 block of Birmingham Avenue in South Dallas.

Clifford Brown and his mother Betty were asleep when the fire broke out. Then their family dog Lucy jumped on Betty’s bed.

“The dog woke my mom up,” said Clifford. “Then I heard the boom and thought someone had broken into the house.” He said he knew right away he had to rescue his 76-year-old mother.

“I was screaming and hollering for him, and he couldn’t get through. There was so much smoke,” said Betty.

The smoke and the intense heat made it nearly impossible to reach the bedroom.

“I had to go all the way around and snatch the bar door open,” said Clifford.

“When he jerked the door down, he fell on the sidewalk, and I fell in the yard,” said Betty. “I didn’t think he was going to get me up, but he said, ‘Oh yeah. I’m getting you out of there.’”

Not much was salvageable from the home. Only one picture of Betty’s grandson was saved.

The family did not have home owner’s insurance, but they say they have many family members in the area that can help them.

Dogs have the ability to do some of the most amazing things. They help lead the blind, find missing people, and even help police catch bad guys. You’ve probably never seen a dog who can help detect diabetes in a human. In fact, we may have found the only one like her in the San Antonio area.

Tristin is a pretty typical 11-year-old boy. He loves sports. He’s very energetic, and he absolutely adores his dog. Sasha is his 2-year-old Weimeranar.

They’re inseparable. Wherever he goes she goes, even to school.

Sasha is a diabetic alert service dog, the only one we know of near San Antonio.

Tristin has Type 1 Diabetes. His body doesn’t produce insulin, the hormone that turns things like sugar and starches into energy we all need to function every day.

Tristin told us, “I’ve had it since I was 3. I’ve gone through some rough times, I guess.”

In fact, diabetes has nearly killed him. His mom, Jodie, teared up when she told us what happened about a year ago. She said one morning, she went to wake up Tristin for church.

“When he stood up, his eyes were very glassy and um,’ Jodie paused to compose herself, “He fell to the floor and he went into a seizure.”

The experience was so traumatic, she explained the sound of his screams haunt her to this day.

She said, “I just talked softly to him in his ear, and said, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ He started yelling, ‘He’s here! He’s real.’”

Jodie said Tristin explained “He” was the Lord.

Tristin recovered, but his mother did not. She was more terrified and determined to find help. She read about a place in Missouri that trains diabetic alert dogs.

The organization is called Heaven Scent Paws, one of only a few in the US. There was a 5-year waiting list, but because Tristin’s condition was getting worse, he wasn’t growing or gaining weight, Heaven Scent Paws bumped him to the top.

That’s where he met and trained with Sasha. She’s been taught to detect a drop or rise in his blood-sugar levels, just by smell.

We caught up with them at Tristin’s school to see Sasha in action. Whenever his levels changed, Sasha jumped up and bopped him on the nose. He checked his level, and found they were low.

Tristin’s levels tend to rise and fall fast, so catching it early is vital.

Now, we were only visiting with Tristin for a few minutes before Sasha alerted twice. On the second alert, he found his levels were too high.

In minutes, Tristin’s blood-sugar level spiked from 72 to over 200. It wasn’t life-threatening, but there have been close calls.

These dogs can cost as much as $25,000, and the doctors we talked with don’t believe it works.

Doctor Sherwyn Schwartz is the founder and CEO of DGD Research in San Antonio, one of the largest diabetes research facilities in the country. He says there is no scientific research that proves diabetic service dogs work.

“Would I have my patients look into it? Certainly. Would I have them buy anything before it’s proven? No,” said Dr. Schwartz.

It’s nothing Tristin’s family hasn’t heard before, but they say they have all the proof they need.

News 4’s Delaine asked the owner of Heaven Scent Paws if she wanted to comment about the medical community’s view on diabetes service dogs. She said there’s no need, she knows they work.

Meantime, Tristin’s family is holding a fundraiser to help cover the costs of the dog. Learn how you can help…

Two young Chicago boys were honored Thursday for their efforts to enhance the safety of police dogs.

Jonathan and David Walker-Moses, ages 5 and 6, were recognized at the Chicago police headquarters.

Earlier this summer, the boys held a garage sale and donated all the proceeds to help buy a vest for a Chicago police dog.

Jonathan and David’s mother was also honored for her ability to raise community-minded children.

SAM the German shepherd dog has been given a police bravery award after he was nearly strangled while trying to detain a suspect in Nuneaton.

The nine-year-old police dog was on duty with partner PC Ian Head when a car drove past without any lights in September last year.

Suspecting the car was stolen, PC Head followed the car and brought it to a halt.

The driver, who appeared to be drunk, got out and ran off.

PC Head unleashed Sam, but the suspect climbed on to the roof of another car and began to kick out at Sam’s head.

The dog eventually managed to pull the man down off the car, but he fell on Sam, grabbing the dog’s collar.

The man twisted Sam’s collar until the dog was unconscious.

Using his baton, PC Head made the man release his grip but Sam remained unconscious on the floor.

Eventually he came round and helped the officer arrest the man, who was later successfully prosecuted for failure to provide a specimen and resisting arrest.

Sam was later given a clean bill of health by the vet.

His citation for Police Dog Action of the Year stated that Sam had been selected to receive the award for demonstrating “professionalism and determination” during the man’s arrest.

His award was given by Chief Inspector Adrian Knight, who is in charge of operations at Warwickshire Police.

And in a double honour, Sam was the inaugural winner of the Stan Shone Memorial shield, a new trophy awarded to the best-performing police dog in a competition to test their skills at obedience, agility and person and property search.

The award was presented by PC Mick Shone, and is named after his father who was one of the first police dog handlers at Warwickshire Police in the 60s.

Sam was one of a number of dogs honoured by the force.

A police spokeswoman said: “They are an indispensable part of the police family. Our dogs are trained to the highest standards and they thoroughly enjoy their work, forming a close working partnership with their handlers.

“Thankfully incidents such as this are rare.

“It is nice to be able to acknowledge the work of the dogs when they perform over and above what is expected of them.”