Sniffer dogs get new missions: Detecting bed bugs, missing people in water

Sniffer dogs are typically tasked with detecting narcotics and explosives, but in South Korea, their roles have expanded to include finding bed bugs and submerged human remains.

This week, two dogs made their debut in these new tasks: Ceco, who is trained to detect bed bugs, and Alpha, who locates human remains in water.

Commissioned as South Korea’s first bed bug detection dog on Wednesday, Ceco is a beagle owned by local pest control company Cesco.

Ceco showcased its exceptional olfactory abilities Thursday at Incheon Airport, boasting a detection accuracy rate of more than 95 percent. According to the firm, dogs like Ceco can detect bedbug pheromones 40 times more effectively than humans, locating bedbugs in all life stages within two minutes per room.

On the same day, Alpha, a Belgian Malinois trained to detect the scent of decomposing human bodies, completed a rescue drill in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

Since starting work in August 2022 as a human remains detection dog, Alpha has been affiliated with the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police.

During the drill, Alpha, aboard a boat, detected the scent of decomposition emanating from the water's surface. Cadaver dogs can identify submerged human remains by detecting the gases released during decomposition, which rise to the water's surface.

Once the specific location was pinpointed, an underwater drone was deployed, successfully locating a submerged mannequin. This marked the first time a cadaver dog and an underwater drone collaborated in such an operation.

Police believe that the ability of these dogs to distinguish the unique scent of human remains will be of great use in future search and rescue operations, especially when combined with underwater drone technology.