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Pooper Scooper Services You’ll Dig (& How To Start Your Own)

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Last Updated: September 26, 2023 | 4 min read | 4 Comments

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Woman picking up dog poop from the lawn at the backyard
I’ve forgotten to pick up my dog’s poop, and she’s stepped in it more times than I care to share.

One moment, your dog is running around the yard, and the next thing you know, you’re giving her an unscheduled bath. It’d be convenient to have a dog poop pickup service clean up my yard for me. Especially when times get busy or it’s cold outside. It’s a stinky job, but someone has to do it.

What Is A Pooper Scooper Service?

A pooper scooper service is a pet waste management service. Professionals will come to your business or residence for a small fee and pick up after your dog(s) to keep your lawn fresh and tidy.

How Often Do You Get This Service?

You can decide how often you want service when you sign up. Most companies offer weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or one-time services.

You’ll want to consider how many dogs you have and how big of a mess they leave. If there are kids around or high foot traffic, you may want more frequent service to prevent poop-covered shoes.

Benefits Of A Dog Poop Pickup Service

Below are some pros to having someone else scoop up your dog’s poop.

  • You don’t have to pick up poop yourself, which can be messy and smelly.
  • If you have a physical limitation, you don’t have to worry about cleaning up after your dog and potentially hurting yourself.
  • Minimizes the poop your dog eats since it’s getting picked up regularly
  • Reduces dog waste pollution in our waterways. By having it picked up, you’re helping the environment.
  • It stops the spread of diseases passed through dog feces.

National Companies To Choose From (And Their Costs)

Poop 911 logo

Below are some dog poop removal companies that are available nationwide. You can also check for local a pet waste removal service in your area to consider for service.

You’ll need to visit each dog poop cleanup service company’s website to get a quote for your address.

Watch this news story from KDKA Pittsburgh about how Poop911 works.

Dog Poop DNA Testing & Waste Management For Communities

Are you a property manager or landlord? Perhaps you’ve got a pop problem in your building or want to start a policy in your living community. Implementing a waste management program is an effective way to crack down on stinky situations and prevent poop from popping up in unwanted places.

PooPrints works with authorized owners and management companies to help add an addendum to rental agreements. Either you can gradually include it in leases at sign-up or implement it for all pet-parent residences at once. Either way, it requires dog owners to agree to allow DNA samples via cheek swab to be collected. This helps PooPrints identify dogs who violate any poop rules via a mailed-in stool sample.

It compares the poop to its dog database and verifies the guilty dog and owner’s identity. PooPrints will even notify their owner for you, so you don’t have to deliver the news awkwardly. Collecting a fine for violations is recommended for enforcement and helps offset any costs for the service. Learn more about dog poop DNA testing.

Dog Poop Stats

Choosing not to pick up your dog’s poop is not only annoying, but it can also cause contamination issues for pets and people alike. Learn more about the negative impact of leaving dog poop in the wild.

  • As many as 40% of dog owners don’t pick up their dog’s poop in some public places
  • On average, dogs defecate between 0.5 and 0.75 pounds per day (varies by breed, size, diet, etc.)
  • Dog poop has 23 million fecal coliform bacteria per gram
  • Poop from pets can contribute to an excess of nutrients and the closure of shellfish beds
  • Since 1991, The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has classified dog poop as a dangerous pollutant in the same category as toxic chemicals
  • Dog poop spreads parasites, including hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms, salmonella, and roundworm
  • Roundworm eggs can linger even after dog feces has weathered away and causes an upset stomach, sore throat, asthma, and blindness
  • Dog feces is a leading cause of E. Coli contamination
  • Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills
  • Protect My Paws found that Pittsburgh is the top city for dog poop, followed by Seattle, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Buffalo. Colorado and Oregon are considered two of the poopiest states based on the number of complaints

How To Start Your Own Pooper Scooper Service

Fortunately, dog poop clean-up services have relatively low overhead costs to get started, so starting one is less intensive than many other types of businesses.

First, you’ll want to check with your local government to see if there’s any insurance, licenses, permits, or other paperwork you need to complete to begin your business.

Why Insurance Is Important

Pet Care Insurance Pooper Scooper Insurance Ad

If you are in the dog waste removal business, we suggest that you get pooper scooper insurance. Being fully educated and insured against possible risks is the best way to start building a successful and trusted business while also protecting your interests.

For professional pooper scooper insurance, we recommend Pet Care Insurance via Veracity Insurance Solutions and Lloyds of London. It can protect you if a dog gets loose and injured when you enter your client’s yard, you knock over and break the furniture when leaving your client’s home, or you damage a client’s prize rose bushes while scooping poop.

How To Setup Your Business

You may choose to form your dog poop pick-up service as a sole proprietorship or a limited liability company. You should speak with a tax accountant about any potential tax advantages for choosing one over the other.

Purchase any necessary clean-up equipment such as pooper scoopers, rakes, shovels, trash bags, etc. You’ll also need a form of transportation to get to your customers’ locations.

And don’t forget to get Pet Care Insurance to protect yourself against possible claims that could cost you a lot of unplanned money.

After you have all of this, you’re ready to start your poop scoop service. Word of mouth is a great way to obtain more customers. You may also want to consider advertising at veterinarian offices, pet stores, dog parks, boarding locations, and other dog-related places around town.

Solve Poop Once And For All

We hope that this dog poop pick up service article helps you find solutions to your poopy issues. Whether you hire a service to come to pick it up for you, start a poop policy at your place, or build your own pooper-scooping business. There are many opportunities to nip number two in the bud.

The information provided through this website should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease; it is not intended to offer any legal opinion or advice or a substitute for professional safety advice or professional care. Please consult your health care provider, attorney, or product manual for professional advice. Products and services reviewed are provided by third parties; we are not responsible in any way for them, nor do we guarantee their functionality, utility, safety, or reliability. Our content is for educational purposes only.

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