Bedbugs can be nasty critters, and New York City's full of them. Luckily, a crack team of canine detectives is there to sniff them out.
Your mother always told you not to let the bedbugs bite. But if you live in the Big Apple, you might have some trouble following her advice: The pesky, bloodsucking critters have swarmed New York City, making their homes in mattresses, sofas, and chairs, just waiting for an unwitting victim to feast on.
Though they may be the subject of nursery rhymes, real-life bedbugs are no laughing matter: Last year, New Yorkers registered nearly 7,000 complaints about bedbug infestations, and many were forced to vacate their homes until the insects could be destroyed.
Bedbugs can be tough to spot, and humans aren’t always up to the task. But luckily, we’ve got some hardworking helpers to sniff out the nasty insects for us: A crack team called Advanced K9 Detectives. The group’s expert P.I.s, including Radar the beagle and Taz the Australian kelpie, have been busy working for hundreds of clients around the city, including many of New York’s finest hotels.
A team of dogs may seem like a poor substitute for a professional exterminator, but think again. “A dog’s nose is cutting-edge technology,” the company’s owner, Carl Massicott, told New York Daily News. The doggie detectives are able to sniff out bedbugs in two minutes flat, and have been trained to bark or swat their paws to announce their discoveries. Though the dogs don’t actually get rid of the bedbugs, they’re a great help in alerting building owners to a problem.
The dogs’ rates aren’t too terrible, either: “Our animals are 100% honest, and trained to work for food and love instead of profits,” said Massicott. Rather than calling for cash at the end of every workday, they’re thrilled with a simple dog treat. If only all employees were so easy to please.