June 11, 2011
Shortly after moving into a sublet apartment in Manhattan I called a dog detector/extermination company to examine my apartment for bed bugs. Within two minutes of arrival, I was told me that I had bed bugs and that the remedy would be a costly extermination by said company. With no visual inspection and the “hard sell” of extermination services, I became suspicious.
I called Harlem River Hounds for a second opinion and spoke with Chuck, He spoke to me at length about how dog detection works and the importance of using a certified NESDCA dog and handling team. He did not sell me on his company, only on using a NESDCA certified company, preferably one that is independent of any exterminator to ensure that results are unbiased.
Chuck and his team arrived within 24hrs of my call. “Tuck,” the dog, did not find detect the scent of bed bugs in my apartment. Chuck told me to call anytime if I had more questions or if I had any concerns.
Harlem River Hounds is NESDCA certified, independent, and unbiased, they go above and beyond for their clients with utmost integrity and professionalism. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
L.M.
July 16, 2011
I live on the Upper West Side, in the 90′s, just off of Central Park West. Recently I noticed some small bites when I woke up and I became suspicious. Although my apartment is absolutely clean and well-cared for (and free from clutter of any kind), nonetheless, I was aware that I could have picked up a bed bug and brought it home just by going to the movie theater or other local venue. For this reason, after several small bites appearred, I decided to get a canine inspection right away – I felt it would be better to find out immediately whether or not I had a problem, before that problem became even bigger. After looking at different companies (many of which were not specifically bed bug companies), I called Harlem River Hounds. I liked that all they did was bed bug inspections and I trusted what they told me, because (unlike other companies) they were not going to profit in any way if bed bugs were found (though they could recommend types of treatment and exterminators that they trusted, they were not the ones who were going to profit if I needed those services).
Chuck returned my phone call right away and was very courteous and informative when we talked over the phone. He also understood my need for discretion when the inspection would be done. Once I decided that an inspecition was needed, I wanted to make an appointment as soon as possible and Chuck was very understanding about this – I was able to get an inspection the next day (after my decision was made – I got one more bite and said – ‘okay, that’s it!). Chuck and his partner Jill did not wear special uniforms or tip off to anyone that they were looking for bedbugs – they fit right in to my building and just looked like any other well-dressed but casual New Yorkers coming over to visit while walking their dog (they even offered to bring the dog in a carry-crate for more discretion, but in the end that was not necessary). The inspection was thorough and JIll (who worked with the dog) was very helpful and seemed like a real expert as well. Unfortunately, the dog did alert on several places, so it turned out that my decision to have them do the inspection was a very good one. Because they train their dog constantly (daily), the dog has an extremely high accuracy rate. This, combined with my waking with bites, convinced me that I had done the right thing.
Chuck and Jill arranged to do a recheck (at a lower rate than the initial inspection) and this was very reassuring. I knew that after I took the necessary measures (replacing or covering my mattresses and couch cushions and washing and drying the linens – I got off easy because I had acted very quickly) they would come back with their (adorable) dog and do a re-inspection to ensure that my efforts had been sufficient to deal with the problem. Because of their excellent service and courtesy and professionalism (as well as consideration in returning calls and coming promptly) I would like to give my unqualified recommendation of Harlem River Hounds.
Sincerely,
Elaine M.
