How dogs are being used to sniff out bed bugs and tackle the city's infestation

In the nasty, desperate fight against bedbugs in Hamilton, a dog named Elvis is man's best friend.

Angelique deRoode, owner and operator of GlobalK-9Detection Services, says that when it comes to bed bugs, dogs are better at sniffing out the creepy creatures"in places where we can't see them with a naked eye... It goes quicker.It's time consuming and you can be in and out of a unit in fiveto ten minutes of a search while a pest control technician would be longer in there to search for bedbugs."

DeRoodesays dogs find bed bugs in places where they love to hide like couches, baseboards, bed slots, and outlets.

Business has been good. De Roode says shegets calls from all over Hamilton and Burlington including libraries, houses, apartments, hotels, and clothing stores. "You name it, we'll be there," said de Roode.

Sometimes clients call for Elvis and his colleaguesas an ounce of preventionto catch the bed bugs before damage is done.

One landlord told CBC that she's been bringing the dogs into her units as a precaution for the past year and a half. She says theyputs the tenant's minds at ease.

We tell them that we do this for our tenant's protection and ours.- Landlord

"We tell them that we do this for our tenant's protection and ours," said the landlord who didn't want to be named because of the stigma associated with bedbugs.

Calling Elvis and theGlobalK-9Detection Services team to search a1,200-square-foot house will set you back about $300.00, but de Roodesaysthat it's cheaper than the cost of dealing with an infestation.

The nose knows

De Roode gets the puppies at about eight weeks old and starts training from day one.

"We rewardthem for putting the nose on the odour," said de Roode.

Then de Roode incorporates dead bed bugs, which she says is important because dead bugs will always be found after treatment.

"They will alert to eggs, one single bedbug, but not dead bedbugs," said de Roode.

According to de Roode, the dogs are about 95 per cent accurate.

If I have two positive indications from my dogs, then there's definitely something going on.-Angelique deRoode, owner and operator of GlobalK-9Detection Services

She teaches her dogs passive alerts which means things like, "sit down."

"I don't want the bark, I don't want the scratch," said de Roode.

De Roode has four dogs two German Shepherds and two Labrador Retrievers. She uses four dogs so that they can be rotated every 15 minutes, ensuring they have enough rest to properly do their job.

"If I have two positive indications from my dogs, then there's definitely something going on," said de Roode.

Although Shepherds are typically known to be in the line of service, de Roode says she's been switching to labs.

"When we're coming in with Shepherds people think you're coming there for a different reason and we really don't want that," said de Roode.