'He can track anything down': Meet Dash, one of Edmonton's bed-bug hunters

Dash, a six-year-old springer spaniel that works at Orkin in Edmonton sniffing out bed bugs, is pictured at Find Edmonton on Oct. 22, 2024. (Matt Marshall / CTV News Edmonton)

A six-year-old springer spaniel named Dash is integral to limiting the spread of bed bugs in Edmonton.

The energetic black-and-white dog is one of two that works with Orkin Canada Pest Control in Edmonton canvassing hotels, office buildings, warehouses and more for the blood-sucking insects.

"He can track anything down. In this case, it is bed bugs," Orkin service manager Ken Grey told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

"If he knows that they're here, he'll find them."

That day, Dash and Orkin were scouting Find Edmonton, a second-hand store that provides furniture to people transitioning out of homelessness.

Since its inception, Find has used dogs to supplement the staff's daily checks to ensure items are clean of bugs.

"We know what risks there are working with second-hand furniture, so we just want to be proactive. It's really important to give peace of mind to our community. We just want everybody to be happy and safe, and especially when you're moving out of homelessness, there's already so many barriers that we don't want to be adding any pressure or stress," the organization's marketing coordinator, Janine Tremblay, said.

Additionally, a bed bug problem that required the store to shut down would be equivalent to "total devastation," Tremblay noted. So far, Find has not had such a problem.

Dash's work at Find over the past four years was described as a kind of search-and-destroy mission.

Both he and his counterpart, Heidi, are trained to sniff out bed bugs then signal to Orkin by sitting and pointing with their nose.

"When the dog jumps into that couch and you're tearing it apart to verify what exactly was there and you find that one baby, that one little bed bug down underneath that corner, it's such a joy to see the training working," Grey said.

"We're trying to find those few before somebody actually comes in, stays in the hotel or they take the piece of furniture they're buying home."

Across Canada, Orkin has 18 canine teams. The company says they employ a few breeds, including labs and beagles, but avoid those with smaller snouts because they're not as talented sniffers. They look for dogs that are good with people and enjoy working.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Matt Marshall and Matt Woodman