Bug Hounds team and Kugler family
In honor of #NationalPetMonth, we’re featuring some of our regional, animal or pet-focused businesses in the Greater Manhattan area. Get to know these local businesses that bring humans and animals together for a variety of unique purposes.
John Kugler, co-owner of Bug Hounds
John and Jina Kugler always had dogs and enjoyed hunting for sport, but it wasn’t until John worked with canine bed bug detection as a facilities manager that he and Jina saw a new opportunity for dogs who love to hunt. They started small but quickly proved the unique idea of dogs hunting bed bugs was an effective one. In November 2020, Bug Hounds won the Non-tech business award in the StartUp MHK Pitch Competition in November 2020. They also won the hearts of their customers and community with the People’s Choice Award, earning them a combined $13,000 for their business.
Getting to know their dogs as employees is important for the Bug Hounds team, and the pooches’ personalities shine through in ways that make the work fun. Jina says, “Cocoa thinks everyone is her friend and wants to play, Finndy is timid and quick to get jealous, Huck is a total goofball, and their beagle, Beddy, is quite the diva.”
The Bug Hounds team values the partnership between animals and people on their team, and they make it a priority to balance work and play. Jina shares, “Last winter, the dogs tried – and failed – to pull a sled this winter for fun. They get more play time and training time now that John can devote all of his work time to Bug Hounds. True to his goofball nature, it turns out Huck is a great snake finder as well. We are constantly having to rescue snakes, turtles and frogs from him.”
In this interview, Spark’s team caught up with the Bug Hounds crew to find out what was new since their Startup MHK win in 2020.
What is unique about Bug Hounds?
What’s not unique about it?! We use dogs to hunt bed bugs! It’s a proactive approach to locate bed bugs before there is an infestation. Clients are then welcome to use the treatment method of their choice. It saves money by only treating the area with bugs, is very accurate (since they are so hard to find by sight), and is done with no disruption to business.
In what ways does Bug Hounds serve the community?
Bed bugs are much more common than most people realize. Anywhere there is human traffic, there is a potential for bed bugs. Locating them early reduces the spread for all of us so we are less likely to take them home with us! This can also protect the reputation of businesses and provide peace of mind for employees.
What inspired you to start Bug Hounds?
Bug Hound employee, Beddy, and one of her handlers.
Before going full time with Bug Hounds in early 2022, [co-owner] John was a facilities and security manager at a large public building. He had the opportunity to see canine bed bug detection in action and was struck by how accurate and efficient it was. With a background training dogs for hunting, he knew he could provide this service at a lower cost than most competitors.
What is your business’ biggest win and what did it mean for Bug Hounds?
More than 95% of the clients who signed with us our first year have remained with us. It has helped us build a reputation for strong customer service and provided tremendous word of mouth advertising. Due to the success and growing demand for Bug Hounds’ services, John has been able to work with the business full time. This has allowed him to be much more flexible in scheduling and get to clients in a very timely manner. We have expanded some of our contracts in neighboring states, including Oklahoma. John was also recently added to the “Real Success Stories” section of Hirepaths.com, an awesome career exploration site for families.
Beyond bed bug detection services, the Bug Hounds team offers community and employee education for reducing bed bug spread during travel or in certain workplaces. Follow Bug Hounds on Facebook or learn more about their services at their website.
