“If Rebel is ahead, she’ll travel to the point. Once she gets to the point, she’ll sit down and look at the point and look at me. Then I’ll reward her and I’ll do the search. I have to make sure.” I can see them visually so that I can tell the customer exactly where they are. ”
A two-year-old Labrador cross in Cochrane sniffs out pesky insects that have been known to turn vacations into nightmares.
Rebels Sniffer, with the help of owner and owner James Wood, detects bed bug infestations in hotels, condos, homes, senior centers and Airbnbs across central and southern Alberta. The duo is the only independent dog odor detection team certified by the World Detector Dog Organization in Alberta.
“For example, we go into a hotel room and examine all of the rooms,” said Wood. “If Rebel gets on the trail, she’ll get to the point. Once she gets to the point she will sit down and look at the point and look at me. Then I’ll reward them and do the search. I have to make sure I can see them visually so I can tell the customer exactly where they are. ”
Bed bugs have become a plight for many tourist accommodations as the apple seed-sized beetles often carry travelers from destination to destination, Wood said.
“Bed bugs are common everywhere,” he says. “International travel is notorious for introducing bed bug problems.”
Wood said they often hide in cracks and crevices where they cannot be seen and can live without food for up to 18 months.
“Even though hotels and Airbnbs were quiet, the bed bugs are still there,” he said. “The main thing I want to get out of is the fact that hotels and condos and Airbnbs should check for bed bugs now so they won’t have a problem when things open up. If you get a bed bug report during a review, it can be brutal for small businesses. ”
Ideally, Wood wants to find the pests before the problem gets out of hand, and has agreements with some companies to conduct monthly inspections as a preventive rather than a reactive measure.
“Doing inspections in places that were empty is so important right now, before it gets full,” he said. “Once it’s busy and there’s a problem, it can be devastating for companies. It is very expensive to get rid of large infestations. You have to have the entire area treated. ”
Wood received Rebel from Bed Bug K-9s in California after contacting the company in early 2020 to inquire about buying a trained bed bug detection dog.
The idea came to him while working in the residential services department of a university in Calgary, where bed bugs were a constant problem due to the temporary population.
Through research, Wood learned of dogs that had been trained to sniff out bed bugs.
The university brought a dog and handler from BC as there weren’t any in Alberta at the time, Wood said.
“I thought it was spectacular,” he said. “It is such a positive step to get a grip on the problem. It seems to be such a reactive industry that we need to anticipate the issue simply because it is much cheaper to take care of a small infestation and treat it than a large infestation where you have to start getting rid of furniture. ”
When Wood was fired from his job in 2019 due to cuts, he decided to get his own dog and came into contact with Bed Bug K-9s.
“I decided to look for a new way and knowing what I knew about bed bugs and the dogs, I knew it was a great opportunity to get a dog and work with companies on preventative maintenance,” said he.
Wood worked with three dogs for the first two days, but it was Rebel who stood out.
“Rebel and I just connected from the start,” he said. “We felt very comfortable. I could tell immediately that it went really well. ”
Wood spent the next week learning how to work with Rebel and training them every day.
“I get vials of bed bugs with screens on them so they can’t find out I’m hiding in the house or in a warehouse or office that someone allows me and we just go in and look for bed bugs,” he said.
He rewards the rebel with food.
When Rebel isn’t working, she’s enjoying a dog’s life, playing with Wood’s pet rottweiler, going for walks, and playing tag.
“She’s an absolute sweetheart,” said Wood. “Rebel is highly intelligent and incredible at what she does.”
