Lola, the first certified bed bug scent detection dog in Europe, has started working for a number of UK hotels.
Trained and certified by the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA), Lola is a 16-month-old Jack Russell. She arrived back in the UK in May after receiving her training in the United States and is now checking out bedrooms in independent and group hotels on behalf of London-based company Trust K9.
"Bed bug scent detection dogs are trained the same way as drug or bomb dogs," said Mark Astley, one of three qualified dog handlers at Trust K9."Lola is trained to only alert on the presence of odour of live or viable eggs and will search a room in about three minutes."
NESDCA-certified dogs are said to be accurate, compared to a human inspector who will take 20 to 30 minutes to check a room and will be only 17 to 30% accurate.
"Scent detection bed bug dogs are already used extensively in America where litigation cases are commonplace and settlements reach tens of thousands of dollars per case." said Astley.
In 2007, a multi-million dollar lawsuit was taken out against the Mandarin Oriental, London, after an American couple said they suffered hundreds of bites from bed bites during a five day stay at the luxury hotel.
US couple to sue Mandarin Oriental after being bitten by bed bugs >>
Bed bugs - a bug's life >>
By Janet Harmer
E-mail your comments to Janet Harmer here.
If you have something to say on this story or anything else join the debate at Table Talk - Caterer's new networking forum. Go to www.caterersearch.com/tabletalk
Caterersearch.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next job here with Caterersearch.com jobs
| Newsletters
For the latest hospitality news, sign up for our e-mail newsletters. | | |