Curly, an Australian shepherd cattle dog mix, set to work sniffing out the Menlo Park Library in the Civic Center on Thursday morning, Oct. 8. Curly wasn’t searching for stashed drugs or on a rescue mission. This specially trained dog was sniffing for bedbugs, and fortunately for the library, did not find any.
The library reopened that day after being shut down Tuesday evening, Oct. 6, when a bedbug was found on a chair. The bedbug and the chair were removed, and the library was closed all day Wednesday, Oct. 7, to “allow pest control to inspect, treat and clean the library for any possible remaining bedbugs,” City Manager Alex McIntyre said.
The facility was treated with carbon dioxide and ventilated for 24 hours, and the library staff received “bedbug awareness and identification training,” he said.
This is the third local library where bedbugs have been found recently. Bed bugs were found on chairs in the Rinconada and Mitchell Park libraries in Palo Alto last week.
“We’re happy to be open again,” said Menlo Park Library Director Susan Holmer.
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