PORTLAND, OR—Fourth-generation and family-owned Sprague Pest Solutions is welcoming the second generation of its canine family as Nikki, a black Labrador, takes over for April (pictured) as the company’s lead bed bug canine inspector.
To celebrate the transition of sniffing duties, Sprague Pest Solutions will hold a Retirement Open House on Thursday, April 10 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the company’s Portland Service Center located at 9106 NE Marx Dr. in Portland.
As part of April’s retirement celebration, Sprague will be accepting donations for the Oregon Humane Society during the open house. A representative from the Humane Society will also be on hand to answer any questions about adopting or rescuing a pet. All of the bed bug dogs Sprague employs, including April and Nikki are rescue dogs.
With bed bugs being a significant pest issue not only in Portland and in the Pacific Northwest but across the country, Sprague has employed the services of bed bug sniffing dogs to perform inspections in apartment complexes, hotels, office buildings and homes.
Because of a dog’s keen sense of smell, they are highly effective inspectors and are able to identify bed bug infestations that human inspectors cannot easily see with the naked eye. Bed bug dogs receive special training and scent imprinting, and are currently in service across the United States.
During her seven-year tenure with Sprague, April, the Pacific Northwest’s first bed bug dog, has performed thousands of inspections — and through her superior sense of smell contributed to the discovery and subsequent elimination of numerous bed bug infestations.
April has earned a loyal following and celebrity status in the Portland market, appearing numerous times on local TV and in newspaper write-ups. Both April and Nikki will be living with Eckhard Mueller, A.C.E, Sprague’s certified bed bug K9 handler.
Sprague Pest Solutions (www.spraguepest.com), founded in 1926, delivers innovative pest solutions to commercial and residential pest management customers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Colorado. Sprague is a Copesan Services partner.
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