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Bedbug Sniffing Dogs on the Prowl for Pests
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 3, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 3, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Release the hounds. The latest innovation in bedbug eradication is being brought to you by Advanced K9 Detectives, a company using man’s best friend to sniff out the bloodsucking pests plaguing New York City. Since 2004, complaints about bedbugs to the Department of Housing have soared to 6,889 (up from 537 a year) and 2,008 building owners issued summonses (compared to 82 in ’04).
Carl Massicott, the owner of the six-dog team, says he’s been inundated with calls from some of the city’s top hotels. His hounds are trained with the same techniques as drug and bomb-sniffing dogs: when they find the tiny bugs, they get a treat. The company favors smaller dogs who can negotiate small New York apartments and seek out the bugs in their tiny hiding spaces. Massicott tells the Daily News: “A dog's nose is cutting-edge technology. Our animals are 100% honest, and trained to work for food and love instead of profits.”
The bedbug epidemic is nationwide, and although Advanced K9 is the first company in New York to offer dog sniffing, researchers at the University of Florida have been working to train dogs to find bedbugs and termites for over a year. Since it doesn’t look like the scourge will be eradicated anytime soon, it makes sense there is a documentary about bed bugs in the works – and the filmmaker is looking for testimonials.
Photo of Lady Bug Dog via superterrific.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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