Western Expands Into Bed Bugs

PARSIPPANY, N.J.  – Move over Bo – there’s a new dog in town and she’s got a job to do.  While the “first-dog” enjoys the White House, Western Pest Services’ first bed bug-sniffing dog is taking on the local bed bug blight. 

Dixie, a one-year-old beagle, is taking to D.C.- and Baltimore-area hotels, apartment complexes, healthcare facilities and businesses to sniff out bed bugs from their hiding places.

The size of an apple seed or smaller, bed bugs feed only on blood – and they prefer human blood to that of other mammals.  These nocturnal creatures feed at night and leave many victims awaking to seemingly inexplicable itchy, red welts.  Unlike other pests, bed bugs are not indicative of sanitation issues.  Any place with a human food source is vulnerable to bed bug infestation. With just two bed bugs producing more than 160 offspring in one month, business owners don’t want to take chances with a bed bug infestation.

Bed bugs typically hide in mattress seams, behind baseboards, in furniture and anywhere else close to a human host.  The pest’s natural tendency to hide makes them difficult to detect by sight only.  Fortunately, dogs have the ability to sniff out the blood-sucking pests and their eggs – allowing their human pest management partners to be even more effective in identifying and treating infestations.  Regular canine inspections can detect bed bugs early on – before they have a chance to spread. 

“I came into pest control in the late ‘80s when we only saw bed bugs in the training manuals because they were a non-issue at the time, said Dodd Delph, special services manager for Western Pest Services.  ”In the past six to seven years that’s all changed – we get bed bug calls nearly every day.  With Dixie now on our team, we can help customers be even more proactive about detecting bed bugs.”

Similar to law enforcement canines, Dixie was trained in scent detection at the Florida Canine Academy in Tampa, Fla.  Originally rescued from a shelter, Dixie underwent approximately 600 hours of training to become certified in bed bug detection.  She sits and points with her nose to indicate where bed bugs, and their eggs, are hiding.  Pest specialists are then able to target treatments even more effectively than with sight inspections alone.

“Dixie loves to work.  She’ll run through rooms as fast as I can keep up with her,” said Blaine Lessard, Western canine handler and Dixie’s partner.  “Beagles are natural hunters so she’s constantly looking for bed bugs.”