ABOUT US

Meet the Dogs

BENSON

Benson

Benson was trained by IronHeart High Performance Working Dogs and joined Dakota Bedbug Detection in 2024.  He joined the team based in Sioux Falls, SD in 2024 and we look forward to getting Benson NESDCA Certified in 2025.

Bindi

Dog

Bindi was trained by IronHeart High Performance Working Dogs and joined DBD in 2021. Bindi is a high-energy beagle with a nose that never stops. DBD is looking forward to getting Bindi NESDCA Certified
in 2022.

BUSTER

buster

Buster was trained by IronHeart High Performance Working Dogs and joined Dakota Bedbug Detection in 2024.  He joined the team in the Twin Cities, MN in 2024 and we look forward to getting Buster NESDCA Certified in 2025.

RETIRED: BG

Gogg

BG was trained by IronHeart High Performance Working Dogs and joined Dakota Bedbug Detection in 2015.  BG is a sweet and methodical 13-inch beagle. BG was  NESDCA Certified from 2016 until retirement.

REMEMBERED: BO

New Project

Trained by IronHeart High Performance Working Dogs. Bo was the very first dog to
join Dakota Bedbug Detection in 2011,  becoming an essential part of the brand and business. Holding NESDCA Certification from 2012 until retirement, Bo
was our treasured pioneer and was lovingly laid to rest in 2023.

Dog Training & Certification

Ironheart High-Performance Working Dogs

Prior to joining DBD, all of our dogs were trained at Ironheart. During these months, the dogs were introduced to the scent of bedbugs and trained to provide an appropriate alert when bedbugs are detected. Much of this time is spent differentiating the pheromones given off by live bedbugs and their eggs from other associated scents (e.g., fecal spots, dead bedbugs). All of DBD’s dogs are food rewarded and their alert is a 3-step process ending in them sitting and waiting to receive food.

NESDCA

The National Entomological Scent Detection Canine Association is the gold standard in the industry. To maintain certification each detection team must recertify annually. While the industry does not require certification, DBD is dedicated to providing the very best, most accurate, service to our clients.

Our services and inspectors

Visual Inspections

While beagles are, for multiple reasons, the perfect breed for bedbug detection, there are places a beagle nose can’t go. So, when the handlers aren’t working with a canine, they are providing a thorough visual inspection. Focusing on areas inaccessible to a canine and looking for other signs of bedbugs. Additionally, all canine alerts are visually confirmed to determine the extent of infestation.

Canine Handlers

The main job of our handlers is to give their canines the opportunity to successfully inspect an area of interest. Secondarily, our handlers must be vigilant to the canine’s body language. A change in body language is the first step of the canine’s 3-step alert. This signals the handler to give the canine more freedom to explore the immediate area. The second step is an increased level of focused deep sniffs. The third step is the canine sitting in front of the target and waiting to be rewarded. This is why NESDCA certifies a canine & handler as a team.

Education

DBD’s co-owner, Denise Patton, has a Master’s Degree in Entomology from the University of Nebraska, and her full-time job is as the Entomologist for the City of Sioux Falls. She also has a commercial chemical applicator’s license. This makes her an incredible resource to our clients. Additionally, she has created educational presentations for organizations (e.g., hotels, property managers, hospitals, eldercare facilities) to help their employees understand what they can do to manage the threat of bedbugs.

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