In a quiet North Carolina forest, a curly-coated dog moves through the undergrowth with singular purpose. Massi, an Italian-bred canine with an exceptional nose, drops his muzzle to the soil, his paws already darkening with mud. His owner, Luke Gilbert, watches intently. Within moments, Massi has signalled his discovery—a brown truffle buried several inches beneath the forest floor. What happens next connects food, science, and an unlikely partnership between humans and their four-legged companions.
When Dogs Meet Fungi
The relationship between truffle-hunting dogs and scientific discovery is far from accidental. Gilbert and his wife, Natalie Dechiara, operate more than just a commercial truffle business from their base near Hendersonville. Their work contributes to a growing citizen-science effort that has already helped researchers identify new fungal species and better understand how forests respond to environmental change.
Truffles themselves are the underground fruiting bodies of fungi that exist in intimate partnership with tree roots. Unlike the mushrooms that push through soil into sunlight, truffles remain hidden, developing their distinctive aromas as they mature beneath the forest floor. This subterranean existence makes them extraordinarily difficult to locate—unless you happen to have access to a dog with a highly developed sense of smell.
The breed of choice for this work is the Lagotto Romagnolo, an Italian dog originally developed to retrieve waterfowl from the marshlands of Romagna. When those wetlands were eventually drained for agriculture in the nineteenth century, the breed’s remarkable olfactory abilities found a new purpose. Today, Lagottos are considered the world’s premier truffle-hunting canines, possessing the capacity to detect the subtle aroma of fungi through inches of soil and forest debris.
A Journey Born From Shared Passion
Dechiara first encountered foraging through a training class, where she met Gilbert. Their connection deepened as they explored the Southeast’s growing truffle scene together. After reading about the expanding use of truffle dogs in the region, Dechiara suggested acquiring one as a birthday gift. In the summer of 2022, Eva arrived—a Lagotto from a Serbian breeder with a calm temperament and natural aptitude for the work.
Eva’s success surprised even her optimistic owners. She quickly mastered the fundamentals and went on to identify more than five different truffle species across the region, including both well-documented varieties and rarer specimens commanding premium prices. When Eva later had puppies with Massi, another Lagotto imported from Italy, the couple’s ambitions expanded. They now operate a business called Wild Goods, running training courses for others interested in truffle hunting and hosting seasonal farmer’s market events throughout Asheville.
The story took a tragic turn when Eva died whilst attempting to give birth earlier this year. The loss devastated Dechiara, affecting her emotional wellbeing for months. Yet the couple’s commitment to the work remained steadfast. The puppies they were raising—Rosie, Dolce, and others—represented both Eva’s legacy and the continuation of their scientific mission.
Training for Discovery
Teaching a dog to locate truffles requires patience and systematic conditioning. Dechiara employs a method not dissimilar to how airport security agencies train detection dogs. She holds a truffle in one hand and dried salmon in the other, rewarding the dog when it correctly identifies the fungi. Through repetition, the association becomes instinctive.
The training extends beyond the hand test. Dechiara hides containers of truffle scent throughout their property—beneath trees, along the garden, scattered across outdoor spaces. When Rosie locates a hidden container, following the invisible scent trail with her nose to the ground, she receives her reward. The ritual builds confidence and competence.
In the forest itself, the dogs respond to specific verbal cues. “Chercher La Chouffe”—borrowing the French word for “seek”—signals the dogs to begin their work. An enthusiastic “all done!” tells them their shift has ended. Gilbert can read his dogs’ body language with remarkable precision. When a truffle dog detects a scent, it executes a sharp ninety-degree turn, a physical tell that experienced handlers learn to recognise instantly.
Rare Finds With Rarer Scientific Value
One of their most significant discoveries occurred by chance: Tuber Canaliculatum, commonly called Michigan or Appalachian truffle, found near their mailbox earlier this year. This species, with its distinctive cinnamon-red exterior and creamy white interior, rarely appears in commercial harvest. Some specimens command extraordinary prices in specialist markets.
Beyond the commercial finds, Dechiara and Gilbert regularly submit unidentified specimens to researchers for analysis. One recent discovery—a truffle with the unusual aroma of banana cake—awaits DNA sequencing to determine its precise species identity.
Where Science Meets Foraging
The couple’s contributions have not gone unnoticed by the academic mycological community. Universities across the United States increasingly recognise the value of trained foragers working alongside professional researchers. At North Carolina State University, plant pathologist Inga Meadows oversees a long-term research project studying the cultivation potential of Perigord truffles—a prized species native to France. Meadows’ team inoculates young hazelnut, oak, and chestnut saplings with truffle fungal spores before planting them, testing various cultivation techniques and environmental conditions.
This research partnership has been invaluable. The university team periodically visits the couple’s truffle orchard at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, collaborating to monitor harvests and assess the success of their experimental approaches. Such collaboration bridges the gap between commercial foraging knowledge and rigorous scientific study.
Mycologists at major universities have also begun formalising relationships with trained foragers. At the University of California, Berkeley, researcher Benjamin Lemmond found his work transformed during the pandemic when lab access became impossible. A colleague delivered truffle specimens collected by amateur hunters, allowing Lemmond to continue his research. One sample, previously categorised under a European species name, proved to be something entirely different when sequenced. The discovery led to the formal description of a new species, with Lemmond’s team now actively collaborating with foragers including Gilbert and Dechiara to identify additional undocumented fungi.
The Ecological Significance of Proper Methods
The proliferation of truffle-hunting enterprises has raised legitimate ecological concerns. Historical truffle harvesting relied on pigs or crude digging methods that could damage the delicate fungal networks beneath the soil. Properly trained dogs represent a more measured approach, disturbing less of the forest floor whilst still achieving successful finds.
Fungi hold particular significance in ecological health assessments. Their rapid response to environmental changes—pollution, drought, temperature shifts—makes them valuable indicators of ecosystem condition. Yet most fungal diversity remains scientifically undocumented. Experts estimate that over ninety percent of fungal species have never been formally identified or named. Without names, without species-level documentation, scientists cannot determine whether individual fungi are responding negatively to human activities or environmental stress.
This is where citizen foragers prove invaluable. Their regular presence in forests, combined with trained dogs capable of finding fungi efficiently, generates data that would otherwise be impossible to collect. Each new discovery, each documented species, contributes to understanding the hidden biodiversity supporting forest health.
A Living Legacy
The daily reality of truffle hunting involves significant commitment. Gilbert and Dechiara typically invest forty to sixty hours weekly in foraging activities, navigating difficult terrain and occasionally encountering wildlife including bears. The dogs themselves require consistent training, dedicated care, and exposure to genuine working conditions. Yet the couple remains committed to the work.
They speak openly about their ambitions: to eventually establish their own truffle orchard, allowing them to transition from wild harvesting to cultivation. For now, Eva’s memory drives them forward. As Dechiara reflects, their decision to continue honours the dog who introduced them to this remarkable world, even as they grieve her absence.
The forest continues to hold its secrets beneath the soil, waiting to be discovered by those willing to search. With each truffle located, each species documented, and each collaboration with researchers strengthened, Gilbert and Dechiara prove that commerce and science need not conflict. Sometimes they intertwine, creating something greater than either alone.
