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Man's
best friend has a new job description
Termites
beware: There's a new exterminator walking the streets
of central Virginia and he's looking for you. Except
that this one has a cold nose and ears that perk up.
Hunter,
the latest employee of Loyal Termite & Pest Control
Co. in Sandston, is a 3-year-old, 17-pound Jack Russell
Terrier. A hardened veteran of termite elimination,
Hunter works seven days a week sniffing out termites.
If Hunter doesn't find termites, he doesn't eat, which
proves a big incentive. Not to worry. Owner Nick Lupini,
vice president of the company, ensures that Hunter never
goes hungry. He has Hunter perform calibration exercises
daily "to keep his nose finely tuned."
The
dog has an interesting career path. After being rescued
from the humane society in Florida by professional dog
trainer Bill Whitstine, Hunter enrolled in Whitstine's
Termite Detection Training School. For more than 15
years Whitstine has been training K9s for law enforcement
work such as detecting drugs and explosives. Loyal Termite
purchased Hunter from Whitstine in early April for $1,000
and so far Hunter has earned his keep, sniffing out
about 100 homes in his first three months on the job.
Although
most exterminators - including Loyal - give traditional
termite inspections for free, Hunter's services cost
$150. "You're paying for the technology,"
Lupini says.
But
is it really worth it? With roughly 600 hours of training
and his daily exercises, Hunter's nose is far more precise
than any human's. "At best only 15 percent of a
structure is accessible to conventional human visual
inspection techniques," according to a company
press release. But for Hunter, "virtually 100 percent
of the structure can be inspected, as he is capable
of detecting the 'termite scent' at the molecular level
of 'parts per trillion.'"
Hunter
seems to have a huge market. He is only the fifth termite
detection dog in Virginia, and he's the first in the
Richmond area, which ranks as the 15th-worst city in
the country for termite infestation.
-
Blair Euverard
Return to Virginia Business - August
2002
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