Dog handler Heidi Wilson and her Russian spaniel River travel the province in search of bed bugs.

The pair works for a national pest control service, in a gig Wilson’s held for 15 years and River for seven, sniffing out the critters dead or alive to find peace of mind for clients.

There’s a false stigma associated with the bugs, says Wilson, a handler with Orkin Canada.

“I see the stress people go through because of the social stigma … which is silly, it’s just a bug. It’s associated with being unclean, which really has no basis,” Wilson said, noting they find them in hospitals and five-star hotels. “It just means one of them hitched a ride and set up shop and started a family in your house.”

What is true is that bed bugs are resilient and can live up to a year without sustenance. Old

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