Sadie Is Sprague's High-Rolling Bed Bug Inspector in Las Vegas
If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas for a conference or long weekend you know the walk to your room can take a while. The city’s hotels and resorts are some of the largest in the world when it comes to the number of sleeping rooms and overall square footage. And since Las Vegas is major tourist city with an expanding year-around population, it is a perfect storm for bed bugs.
Now imagine inspecting one of these properties for bed bugs. Doing just one floor represents a significant investment in human capital and time unless you turn to man’s best friend to assist.
According to Raechel Newell, Sprague’s canine prevention specialist in Las Vegas, canine inspectors, like Sadie, a German short haired pointer, bring a special set of skills to the job that make tackling large hotel inspections a little easier.
Sadie does not have any preconceived notions about whether a hotel or commercial property does or does not have bed bugs. This gives her an advantage when she arrives to perform an inspection.
Newell and Sadie cover the commercial market in Las Vegas and Nevada for Sprague. She joined Sprague in 2019 after working for Wynn Resorts as a canine officer and has formed a strong bond with her four-legged colleague.
“The volume of inspections we perform in Las Vegas and Reno, especially in the hotels and resorts, is significant,” said Newell. “We are careful not to overwork Sadie because the fatigue could impact her ability to complete her mission of finding bed bugs.”
Newell said Sadie can cover more ground in less time than a human inspector and her superior sense of smell allows her to sniff out bed bugs with a high degree of accuracy.
“Within minutes of entering an infested room, Sadie finds where the bed bugs are,” said Newell. “It takes a human inspector much longer to accomplish that working alone.”
Newell noted that, unlike human inspectors, Sadie does not have any preconceived notions about whether a hotel or commercial property does or does not have bed bugs. This gives Newell an advantage when she arrives to perform an inspection.
“We start our inspections in the hot spot areas inside a room – mattresses, box springs and bed frames – where bed bugs are most likely to be found,” said Newell. “Bed bugs do not usually go far from their meal source.”
Discretion Is Important
If a hotel guest sees a canine inspector enter the property their first instinct is, “What’s wrong.” Newell said discretion is an important part of her job. There are occasions when her and Sadie must inspect a room that is occupied.
“The guest will not be present, but hotels want to avoid the domino effect of moving a guest’s luggage and personal belongings, which may be infested, to another room and expanding the infestation,” said Newell.
If bed bugs are confirmed the hotel not only must relocate the guest and have the room treated but they must have the guests clothes laundered before they move to a new room.
“The hotel’s bottom line and reputation are at stake, and we want to ensure we do our part by quickly and accurately finding the infestation and making a treatment recommendation,” said Newell.
Newell said she has seen more hotel clients adopt a preventive approach (vs. a reactive one) to head off potential problems.
“They are investing in training for housekeeping and maintenance staffs so they know what to look for and alert us sooner so we can bring Sadie in for an inspection,” said Newell.
When asked how she explains to clients the benefits of having a canine inspect their property, Newell answers that she is the eyes and Sadie is the nose. A strong one two punch to root out bed bugs.
Certifying Your Canine’s Credentials
Sprague deploys only canine inspection teams — both the dog and handler – that are certified annually by an independent third-party. Achieving this certification indicates that Sprague’s canine team can perform as they say they can and identify live bed bugs in real-world environments.
What are the advantages of using certified canine teams?
- Certification demonstrates the canine team’s competence by an independent, third-party.
- Certification confirms the ability of the team to locate live bed bugs and viable eggs in real world environments.
- Certification confirms the canine team’s ability to differentiate live bed bugs and eggs from other odors in structures.
For more information on how Sprague Pest Solutions can assist you create and deliver an effective bed bug prevention or management program for your hotel or commercial property, call 855.805.0755.
The Sadie File
Name: Sadie
Breed: German Short Haired Pointer
Best Friend/Handler: Raechel Newell
Age: Five
Birthplace: Arizona
Weight: 55 lbs.
Favorite Toy: Her tug toy
Best part her job? Finding bed bugs and being rewarded with her tug toy
Favorite non work activity? Chasing birds
Favorite food/treat? Bacon strip treats
Nap or Walk? Walk
Her opinion of bed bugs? It’s a game of dog and bug. Who can find who first.