A growing problem with bed bugs is creating a new line of work for sniffer dogs.
Kia, a lab cross, is now part of the frontline battle against the bugs.
"She has been trained for scent discrimination specific to bed bugs," says Rosemary Gartly, who owns a pest control business in Canmore. "She alerts to the bug, the exoskeleton, the feces, just about every stage of the bug as well even to the eggs."
Gartly learned about Kia's abilities on the Internet and brought her to Alberta from the Florida Canine Institute.
The one-year-old is a rescue dog, "She basically went from death row to a working dog and she loves to work," says Gartly.
Kia's unique talent is a hug time saver for Gartly's business. "If we were looking through a condo, or any place, that may have a bed bug she will alert within minutes [where it would normally] take us hours to find them."
Kia has completed 600 hours of training and is the only certified bed bug sniffing dog in Southern Alberta.
There are around 12 bed bug sniffing dogs in Canada.
