Dogs sniff out bedbugs at New York hotels

NEW YORK, March 3 (UPI) -- A company that employs dogs with keen noses says numerous New York hotels have called on them to sniff out bedbugs that have infested many businesses.

Carl Massicott, head of Advanced K9 Detectives, said his company's six dogs have been kept busy by a high volume of requests from hotels seeking to rid themselves of bedbugs amidst a citywide infestation, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

"We are inundated with requests from hotels and apartment owners," Massicott said. "It's difficult to keep up with the demand."

"We have confidentiality contracts and never name the businesses where we operate, but our clients include many top-end hotels," he said. "It's in their interests to nip the problem in the bud before it spreads."

The New York Department of Housing, Preservation and Development said the fiscal year that ended in June 2007 saw a total 6,889 complaints of bedbug infestations and 2,008 landlords received summonses related to the insects. By comparison, only 537 infestations were reported in 2004 and only 82 building owners were issued summonses.