The use of scent dogs is an extremely effective way of locating bed bugs in a variety of locations. Bed bugs can hide under carpets, in baseboards, along mattresses and box springs, in electronics, and behind walls; areas that are virtually impossible for a human to inspect without stripping a room down to the bare walls.
Our “bed bug dog” is able to identify the presence of a single bed bug!
Meet Maggie, The “Bed Bug Dog”
Maggie is our certified bed bug scent detection dog. She is an 8-year-old Jack Russell Terrier who works out of our Edmonton Branch. Maggie has been a part of the Poulin’s Pest Control team for about 6 years and was trained at J&K Canine Academy in Florida, USA. She uses reward training with her favorite kibble once in the morning and again at night with live bed bugs to keep her scent detection highly active.
Maggie is always excited to come to work and she loves meeting new people, especially children! When Maggie is not working and hunting for bed bugs she enjoys going for long walks, sunbathing on the lawn, and catching up on her beauty rest.
How Does Canine Scent Detection Work?
Maggie is trained to alert to the scent of either live bed bugs or viable eggs by stopping and scratching with her paws. After Maggie completes her inspection of a home, the Pest Management Professional checks the areas that were marked to see if there is bed bug activity. A dog’s nose is a very powerful tool and can detect the presence of bed bugs in every stage of their life cycle from eggs to nymphs to adult.
A visual inspection relies on a number of key factors such as good eyesight, good lighting, material, accessible areas, and detection of specific bed bug growth stages. Our “Bed Bug Dog” is trained to generate quicker and more accurate results which can lead to lower control efforts and pesticide usage.
Maggie’s service area includes all of the greater Edmonton area. To book a service with Maggie, the “Bed Bug Dog”, call our Edmonton branch at 780-477-1671 or toll-free at 1-877-477-1671.