Bugsy best bet to sniff out bed bugs
REGINA — If you have a problem sleeping tight, Bugsy, a bed-bug-sniffing beagle, may be able to find out what’s bugging you.
The dog is one of two specially trained dogs used by Canadian Thermal Solutions as part of its canine bed bug detection program.
However, Bugsy doesn’t work alone. He is assisted by his handler Becca Hoffman.
The pair not only work together, but they also live together.
Hoffman said it’s always been her dream to work with dogs and being with Bugsy 24-hours a day is perfect.
“I love it,” she said about her job. “You get to meet a lot of interesting people.”
Before Hoffman was hired for the job as a canine handler, she had no idea bed-bug sniffing dogs existed.
Bugsy, a light brown and white spotted beagle, was trained in bed-bug detection in Florida.
So when Hoffman was hired more than a year ago, she travelled to Florida to get Bugsy, who was 11 months old at the time.
The pair then trained together for another two months before they began working because Bugsy had to prove that he knew what he was doing.
She said any dog can be trained to smell out bed bugs, but beagles are special because they are energetic and are bred to smell.
“He can work up to eight hours a day,” said Hoffman.
After more than a year of working together, the pair have their daily routine.
Hoffman said they are kept busy because bed-bug sniffing dogs are rare in the province.
Alfie Kiernan, owner of Canadian Thermal Solutions, said the dogs are essential for the post treatment of bed bugs because the animals are trained to sniff out live bed bugs and viable eggs.
He said the dogs are vital to his business and are tested every two weeks to ensure they have at least a 95-per-cent accuracy.
In addition, Bugsy and Hoffman have to be re-certified as a team every two years by the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association.