During the past year, I have not had a good night’s sleep in a hotel due to the media blast on bed bugs even though I break out my flashlight and conduct an inspection of the room before I “move” in. Last night was the exception.
I was staying in the same hotel as our Bed Bug Detection K9, Jackson, and his handler, Bobby. After checking in I asked Bobby if Jackson could practice his sniffer technique in my room.
Jackson came over and padded around my room for a couple of minutes. He has been trained using the same methodology and training regimen as bomb-sniffing dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, mold-sniffing dogs and termite-sniffing dogs. Using their keen sense of smell, dogs are able to smell up to two parts per trillion and alert their handler to live bed bugs and viable eggs. Specially trained sniffer dogs can detect bed bugs in the smallest cracks and crevices – far more effective than my torch!
It made my night knowing that Jackson’s nose did not detect bed bugs in my room. I slept like a baby with no worries of getting bitten or taking home unwanted guests. Thanks Jackson!
Jerry L. Kahl,
Rentokil Segment Market Manager
North American Pest Control
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