No ****, cleaning up after dogs is big business

“If everyone had thought this was an awesome idea, it would have been done 100 times already,” D’Aniello said. “But when 40 percent of the population is out there doing something they don’t want to do, it’s a business opportunity.”

Barnhart, a semiretired shipping company executive who hopes to have his Virginia Beach franchise up and running by December, said he’s not particularly concerned if the job doesn’t carry much social status.

“I’m married. I don’t need to impress any women,” Barnhart said.

The founder of Pet Butler, Matt “Red” Boswell — who likes to refer to himself as the company’s “chief excrement officer” — said he was insulted when his girlfriend first suggested to him the idea of a poop-scooping business.

“I saw myself in Armani suits,” said Boswell, who at the time was holding down three jobs, including Cadillac salesman. “But once I got over the pride factor, and really got into it, it was the best job in the world. I was outside, in nice yards. Low stress.”

Boswell said he employs seven full-time scoopers for his company-owned franchise, which covers Dallas and Fort Worth. Their salary can surpass $30,000 plus use of a company truck.

D’Aniello said his scoopers earn similar amounts, with the wage depending in part on how many yards they clear in an hour.

Early on, D’Aniello and his wife Susan, a co-founder of the company, did much of the scooping themselves. The business grew slowly at first, and word-of-mouth advertising was slow because many customers didn’t like to admit they paid somebody else to clean up after their dogs.

Slowly, though, as neighbors see the brightly painted trucks on the street and more neighbors sign on, a street reaches a sort of tipping point. “The service as a whole is gaining acceptance,” he said.

Prices can vary depending on numbers of dogs and yard sizes, but Doody Calls generally charges $15 a week for weekly scooping services.

Laurie Conroy, a Doody Calls customer in Wellesley, Mass., with four dogs, said the service is worth it at almost any price.

“It’s a nice luxury to have. I did not enjoy cleaning up after my pets,” said Conroy, who signed up with a local service several years ago in Connecticut and immediately looked for a similar service when she moved to Wellesley. “Our yard is so much cleaner. The kids can run around barefoot in the summer.”

John Bright, originally from Manchester, England, opened a Doody Calls franchise in the famously dog-friendly city of Alexandria, Va. He said the franchise dovetails nicely with his UK business, supplying and managing pet waste stations in public areas like parks.

In England, though, poop-scooping hasn’t caught on.

“People aren’t willing to spend money on this sort of thing over there,” he said.

MORE FROM SMALL BUSINESS

Small business Section Front

On the fast track   Business War Chest: "Start with why"   Business Answers: Evaluating your marketing   Learning from the Pros: B. Smith 10 things not to say when firing an employee From nursing home employee to owner   Small Business Health: Swine Flu   Small Business Inspiration: 'Ten9Eight'   Business Answers: To cut or not to cut   Elevator Pitch: Nomie Baby Small business Section Front   Add Small business headlines to your news reader: