Meet Ross, on the frontlines of the bed bug war in Arizona

By Keith Coddington Since 2010 Ross the bed bug detection dog has been helping his human counterparts by fighting the war against bed bugs in Phoenix, Arizona and beyond.  All indications point to the fact that we humans will probably never win this war against bed bugs, but with highly trained bed bug dogs like Ross on our side we can at least win battles when necessary.

Ross has been a pleasure to work with over the past two years.  He is one of the most versatile dogs I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

His strong will to work, confidence and even keeled temperament make everyone that meets him instantly fall in love with him.

Ross is about 3 years old.  We are unsure of his exact age because as with all of our dogs he was rescued.  We believe he is a Labrador mix, but he appears to have the body structure of a German Shepherd.

Ross continues to amaze us with his amazing ability to detect even the smallest amount of bed bug evidence.  He is a dog that works quickly, efficiently and has learned the search pattern so well in all environments that he is basically on auto-pilot.

Ross has been deployed to dormitories, movie theatres, hotels, resorts, warehouses, homes, apartments, office buildings, hospitals, manufacturing plants, libraries, fire stations and more.  He has been to every corner of the state from Chinle to Phoenix toTucson.

Ross lives with his canine handler and the rest of his pack of dogs in Phoenix.  He loves to play with the other dogs on his free time or simply relax at your feet.

Cimex K9 looks forward to continue to help our customers in Arizona win their bed bug battles with our proactive and reactive bed bug inspection programs.

For more information contact Keith Coddington at:

Cimex K9

Phoenix, AZ

888-928-4364

Phoenix welcomes a new certified bed bug dog.

By Keith Coddington Cimex K9 of Phoenix, AZ would like to introduce our latest certified bed bug dog, Kohl.

Kohl is a 2 year old Dutch Shepherd.  All of Cimex K9s dogs are either owner surrenders or from rescue organizations.  Although Kohl comes from an excellent breeding line, he was too much for his prior owner to handle due to his strong desire to work.

Although Kohl has this very strong work ethic he is also a very sweet boy that loves other dogs and people.  He is remarkably calm while doing his job detecting bed bugs for how much energy and drive he possesses.  His stamina and focus while on the job is second to none which makes him a pleasure to work with.

Just as with all of our dogs, Kohl is trained to passively alert meaning he will sit and point when he detects bed bug odor.    All of the handlers at Cimex K9 were third party certified with Kohl this January.

Besides detecting bed bugs, Kohl also loves competeing in dock diving competitions.  During his first competition in January of 2012 he placed 2^nd in the senior division of the Splash Dogs Competition in Tempe, AZ.

For more information on Cimex K9s bed bug detection services call 888-928-4364

Phoenix Bed Bug Detection Dog Update – Trends for 2011

Phoenix, Arizona based Cimex K9 specializes in proactive early detection of bed bug infestations and provides post-treatment assurance that treatments were effective. We are approaching the two year anniversary of Cimex K9’s bed bug detection K9 services.  We have seen a consistent increase in bed bug activity throughout Arizona over the last two years.

At the end of the third quarter of 2011 we have found that the bed bug epidemic in Arizona has significantly increased from the prior year.  We are finding active colonies more often in public places which previously was a rarity.  It does not make a difference if the areas are low-income or high-income neighborhoods because to a bed bug the blood is all the same.  We speculate that due to the high cost of treatment sometimes lower income households are less likely to be treated effectively which may lead to the bed bug colonies migrating from one structure to another more often.

We at Cimex K9 are encouraged to see that more commercial establishments are taking a proactive approach to detect infestations prior to customer complaints.  We feel this is by far the most effective use of our service as it always pays for itself by protecting the establishment’s reputation along with a much more effective treatment due to early detection.

Should you see a bed bug inspection canine working at a public or commercial establishment you should feel grateful that the location is taking proactive precautions to protect you rather than thinking because they are using a bed bug sniffing canine that they must have a serious problem.  Bed bug detection dogs are normally used to find infestations before they get out of control as larger and more active colonies are easily detected without the use of a bed bug dog.

As the use of the bed bug detection dogs in Arizona becomes more mainstream they will be seen as a welcome sight rather than a reason to panic.  Until then we will maintain status quo by being as discrete as possible.

Should you have any questions or comments about the services we provide at Cimex K9 please feel free to contact us at 888-928-4364

-Keith A Coddington

Founder of Cimex K9, LLC

Consumer beware: Investigate before you hire a Bedbug Dog! Phoenix, Arizona

By Keith Coddington There is no doubt that the nationwide bedbug epidemic has turned into an enormous business opportunity which looks extremely attractive in today’s economy.   The bedbug epidemic is nationwide and Phoenix, Arizona has not been spared.  Experts agree the bedbug problem will get much worse before it gets better.

There will be more and more start-up companies trying to cash in on this opportunity which is not necessarily a bad thing, however consumers need to be sure to research the company they are about to hire especially when it comes to bedbug dogs.

The problem is that there is currently no set standard, license or industry-wide recognized certification for bedbug detection dogs teams.  As of now anyone can simply claim they have a trained bedbug detection dog.   A system of consistent quality control in this highly specialized field is lacking.  The good news is that there are several different organizations already addressing this issue and a long-term industry-wide solution is on the horizon.

Cimex K9 is promoting and currently working on the implementation of a state sponsored certification process for search teams to ensure consumers are protected and receive the best quality service possible.

So you may wonder:  How do I hire a reputable detection dog company?

1.       Ask if the dogs are certified.  If so which certification agency?  Ask for proof.

2.       Is the certifying organization operated by the same person that trained and sold the dog?  If so this is a conflict of interest and you should be very skeptical of the legitimacy of this type of “certification”.  The organization must be an independent uninterested third party.

3.       Certification must be of the Team which includes the dog and handler.

4.       Is the certification in real-world conditions?  Is it a double-blind test?

5.       Who trains and maintains the detection dogs?  There is a difference between handlers and trainers.  Trainers train the dogs and the handlers from scratch.  Handlers are trained to use a dog that has already been trained, and aren’t qualified to train other handlers and dogs.  Not many areas have actual trainers on-hand  to maintain the detection dog teams, but when available this is an issue worth considering from a quality control perspective.

6.       Ask for references.  Of course any business will always give out the customer’s names that have had good experiences with them.  The best reference for a bedbug detection dog would be to ask for an apartment complex that has used their bedbug detection dogs frequently over the past year.  This can give you a much clearer picture of the company’s performance.

7.       Does the company, trainer and/or handler have any prior experience with detection dogs?

If the company you are about to hire can’t easily answer all of the questions above you may want to look elsewhere.  Until there is a set industry standard regarding bedbug detection dog certifications the questions above are the best way to ensure protection for the consumer.

-Keith Coddington

owner/trainer

Cimex K9, LLC

888-928-4364

The Canine Nose Undercovers

Letting the bedbugs bite? Go to the mattress with a well-trained sniffer.

by Mara Bovsun - July/August 2011 issue of AKC Family Magazine

Yet again, the human race is under siege and, yet again, we’re calling on our dogs to pull us from the brink of disaster.  The enemy this time is a tiny insect, about the size of an apple seed.  In scientific circles, the proper name is Cimex lectularius.  To the rest of us, that’s bedbug.

(Read More)

Dogs help sniff out bedbugs in Phoenix public housing

Canine detectives discover infestations as incidence increases 

Emily Gersema - Apr. 7, 2011 10:30 AM The Arizona Republic

The management company of a city-owned senior housing complex near downtown Phoenix recently took an unusual step to check the units for bedbugs.

McCormack Baron Ragan hired a Phoenix company, Cimex K9, to lead a dog that is trained to point when it finds bedbugs. The dog was used in the apartments of the Senior Living at Henson Village complex near Buckeye Road and Eighth Avenue.

(Read More)

Arizona's Proactive Commercial Bedbug Inspections

By Keith Coddington

Unfortunately for our clients the bedbug epidemic appears only to be in its infancy. And although a silver bullet will take care of your typical vampire, a bed bug treatment is a bit more complicated to destroy these little nocturnal blood-suckers which means they are here to stay at least for now.

That being said the best option available to any commercial establishment at risk of infestation is routine proactive bedbug inspections.  The obvious goal is to avoid customer exposure by finding the infestation in its early stages and eliminate the problem before complaints and even lawsuits ensue.

That may sound easy enough however the problem is that detecting bedbug infestations during the early stages can be

extremely difficult and labor intensive.  To complete an extremely thorough inspection of a typical hotel room would require pulling all of the furniture apart and visually inspecting every spot a bedbug could wedge into.  This type of routine proactive approach is impractical in most commercial settings especially with a large number of rooms to search.

This is where the use of bedbug detection dogs is by far the best option.  A properly trained and certified search team can clear a typical room in a matter of minutes and do it more accurately. (see my other articles on how to research and hire a bedbug dog).

The biggest issue clients initially have when it comes to using the dogs is that they are worried about the perception from their customers that if dogs are seen then their customers will believe there is a bedbug problem at the location.

Here in Phoenix, AZ using bedbug detection dogs is a relatively new concept and anything new is always uncomfortable at first, but many other resort hot spots across the country proudly proclaim the fact they are keeping their guests as safe as possible by being proactive.  Bedbug Detection Teams should never tell the client's customers we are searching for bedbugs unless they give prior permission, but for the customers that do figure out what is going on it is always a been a positive reaction. By being one of the properties that values their customer's safety above everything else is always a good thing.

I realize proactive bedbug inspections in Arizona is a new thing however we are slowly but surely coming to the time when it will be something that is promoted rather than kept quiet.  Until then I will work with our clients to be as discreet as needed to get the job done.

For more information about Bed Bugs be sure to check out this great page on Bed Bugs from Texas A & M University.

Keith Coddington

Owner / Trainer / Handler

Cimex K9, LLC

Phoenix, AZ

888-928-4364

Local Dogs Sniff Out Bedbugs

East Valley Tribune updated 12/10/2010 4:15:37 PM ET It has been said by dog trainers everywhere that one of the best things you can do is to give your dog a job.

While the object is to keep your dog active and obedient, there are some dogs out there that perform jobs that humans themselves cannot do.

Take for example Isis, a 3-year-old Catahoula mix. Isis is a bedbug-detection expert. She is employed by Cimex K9, a Phoenix-based company that is hired by residents and businesses to sniff out bedbugs.

(Read More)