Bedbug-sniffing dogs get Calgary hotels Stampede-ready

As Calgary readies itself for theStampede, a team of canines are helping make sure the city's hotels are bedbug-free.

The dogs are speciallytrained to detect the scent of bedbug pheromones, which allows them to sniff out the insects.

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Handler Sherry Chapman says her scent detection dog, Pasta, is in high demand these days. Chapman works forOrkinCanada, a national pest control company.

"We noticed last year that two weeks after Stampede time it just went crazy," said Chapman.

"We were so busy because we get over a million people coming into the city. So, our hotels are super busy and the increase of bedbug activityreally skyrockets."

An infestation of the wingless, blood-sucking critters is Scott Mann's nightmare.

He manages theWyndham Garden Airport Hotel, which has been getting monthly bedbug inspections from Chapman and Pasta.

"Well, certainly it's not great publicity to ever be associated with that.So, this is just a good way for us to proactively use the program so we can detect if there is any activity in the hotel."

Mann says the hotel has never had to deal with bedbugsand he wants to keep it that way.

In the meantime, Chapman and Pasta expect a busy month ahead, with business already up 40 per cent from last year.

Facts about bedbugs:

• Wingless, reddish-brown, blood-sucking insects that are oval shaped and look somewhat like an apple seed.
• Live four months to one year.
• Can survive for long periods without a blood meal.
• Eggs are whitish, pear-shaped and approximately the size of a pinhead.

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