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DOG OWNERS: Love your dog -- hate poop?
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 THE INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF DOG WASTE REMOVAL SERVICES

Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board Archives

Messages archived from the Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board, going back to May of 1998. The discussion board board is an online forum about the business of pet-waste removal. Browse the messages, CLICK HERE TO SEARCH by keyword, or click here to participate in current discussions.

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Page Thirty-Two



Message Date/Time:
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 13-Jul-99 17:45:06

Successful scoopers

Hi I was wondering has anyone out there been successful with this business? I know Matthew has, but I was curious to know who else has mastered this business.


Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 14-Jul-99 14:44:56

Re: Successful scoopers

Hi Bianca!

I started in April and I have had some success. At least I am somewhat satisfied with the accounts I have obtained. Of course, I am always wanting more! But I have not gone out and tackled the advertising with a lot of gumption yet. Still, the calls trickle in. Good luck to you!

Cindy




Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 14-Jul-99 00:10:56

Success Of Pooper-Scooper Heading

Today I was contacted by my yellow pages to find out what headng i would like to be under and if there was any changes i wanted to make. I ask for a pooper-scoper heading said not avaiable so did their manager. So I made a call to the vice president of yellow pages, than i recieved call from a another manager, for some reason since 1990 each year i have requested a form to be fill out requesting this heading and it was not done. So they tell me a heading is going to be provided in Missouri. Do you have a company in Ark, Olk, Tex, Kan? Is your yellow pages with Southwestern Bell? Would you like your business to be listed under Pooper-Scooper Service? Today I called every number listed in Matthew listing on companies to find out if you have a listing and where at. If you again I say would like to be under the heading Pooper-Scooper call you suthwestern Bell yellow page Represented before July 30 this date is what I been told here is deadline for the October book



Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 14-Jul-99 14:41:24

on the road disinfecting/cleaning tools

I started my business in April and I FINALLY have more than one customer per day. I was wondering what type of disinfecting some of you may be using while going from yard to yard. Any input?

I also was wondering what other types of advertising was available. I have my name in the paper everyday in the yellow page section. I have offered free service to those customers that send me a referral. And just how do I get that free advertising?

Thanks for any input! Keep up the great pick-ups!




Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 18-Jul-99 13:46:23

Re: on the road disinfecting/cleaning tools

Try a flyer in a pet store bulleton board or at your local supermarket.




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 20-Jul-99 01:11:20

Re: on the road disinfecting/cleaning tools

I use Nolvasan Solutions. It's what many vets use to disinfect thier eamination tables. It's designed to prevent the spread of Distemper Virus, Newcastle, Canine Parvo and other bacteria. It's available at KV Vet Supplies @ 800 423-8211. Ask for a free catalog.
Tim




Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 14-Jul-99 17:11:28

Your Pet on Television

Does your pet do something amazing that can't be explained?
> Does he/she seem to know when you're coming home? Does he/she hide before
> a visit to the vet? A national television newsmagazine is doing a story
> about the unexplained powers of animals and we want to hear about your
> special pet. Please e-mail us at Gwen.Gowen@ abc.com. We look forward to
> hearing from you. Thanks!




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jul-99 03:16:24

about heading for pooper scooper service

here i am agin talking about the heading of pooper scooper service for your business does not seem to many of you out there are interested, i have only hear from two companies i called that day from the states located in my district. Oh by the way, how do you expect customers to know they have the right number when they call and someone just say hello ro your ansering machine does not mention the nameof your business either? get professional people...




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jul-99 11:52:53

Re: about heading for pooper scooper service

Hi Debbie,

I am still running into a brick wall, as you, with the headings for the phone book here in Ohio. We have Cincinnati Bell and because PooP b Gone is the ONLY waste removal service here, they say there is not justication for that type of heading.

ALL of us scoopers need to contact our phone companies OVER and OVER again and let them know we need this category. Maybe if we all get together and fight for this, we can overcome this obstacle.

PooP b Gone is "MY" company and I will do whatever I need to do to accomplish making my business accessible to the public.

Call your phone companies people!!

I applaude you Debbie for your efforts and best of luck!




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jul-99 19:31:24

Re: about heading for pooper scooper service

Debbie:
I hope you got my e-mail ok. Cannot be sure since you are AOL. Seems like everytime I send e-mail to anyone having AOL as their server, I get a message that the address noted cannot be sent.

As far as saying "Hello" when we answer the phone is because I do not have a business phone. All my ads, etc., say: call xxx xxx xxxx and just ask for Dr. Doo Litter. I do not have a buiness phone, nor do I have the number listed in the yellow pages. Reason? The cost vs the number of new customers. If their is a low response...the recovery of said cost may be in the years. Another reason is that if one is just starting and then fails... You would be still be getting phone calls all year long. However, the real reason is that I just have not gotten around to either the yellow or the business phone. I seem to put off things...in fact I just got around to sending my X-Mas cards last week. Oh by the way...before I forgot, I hope you all had a happy x-mas.

Dick (Dr. Doo Litter)




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jul-99 23:36:07

Pat

Ask your yellow page company which states make up your district, than check matts site find those companies print them out, call the president of the yellow pages and tell them of these companies, and tell them southwestern bell has a heading pooper-scooper service. you might just get result as I did, good luck




Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 31-Jul-99 22:11:46

Re: about heading for pooper scooper service

It's not that others aren't interested, but in order to even have a listing (much less a heading) in the yellow pages, you MUST have a "business line." In my case, I can't afford a business line, per say. Instead, I have an additional regular home line attached to voice mail with a professional greeting introducing my company and that we're out in the field. Don't assume that everyone out there doesn't want or care to be professional. Of course, we do!



Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 03-Aug-99 18:32:07

Re: about heading for pooper scooper service

i hve had battles with bell atlantic NJ about this matter. We wanted to listed under pet mess cleanupin the pet section.They said no due to lack of knowledge baout such a service..Who has a company that cleans up the dog doo?Anyway they did list me under pet waste removal and i got loads of call fromm people needing their dead pet picked up.Can you believe that.We will not be advertising with bell atlantic due to lack of support.yeah sure they are the heart of communication.there are other ways to be reached though.




Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 18-Jul-99 14:06:36

Count Down Begins

Well I am mailing out for my pooper scooper book today. Have many ideas and alot of spunk. Please wish me luck as I do to all of you.

Keep-On-Scoopen




Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 22-Jul-99 10:56:42

Re: Count Down Begins


GOOD LUCK!!!! ;-]




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 23-Jul-99 10:02:14

Removal of Dog Waste

I work for a municipality in upstate N.Y., I reviewed the listings for dog waste removers and there are none within a two hour drive. The town has a public dog park. The waste is deposited in a garbage can. Local regulations do not allow it to be disposed of in the landfill. Does anybody have any suggestions on the removal of this waste (enzymes, earthworms ?). If you do please e-mail me at kempjay@hotmail.com.




Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 24-Jul-99 00:27:57

Re: Removal of Dog Waste

Hi Jason,

When I first started I had a similar problem: animal waste was prohibited from the local landfill. I talked to the landfill manager about it, and he told me that if I could get approval from the Ohio EPA, then they would accept the waste on a trial basis at the landfill.
So I talked to the Ohio EPA. I filled out a "Special Waste Profile" and it was approved. I took that approval to the landfill, and was granted permission to dump 2 cubic yards per week. The waste went into the regular municipal waste stream, there was never a problem with it, and every time I needed to increase the amount of waste I was permitted to dump, approval was granted.
So one option is to see if you can arrange something like this to change the current prohibition on dog-waste at your local landfill.
Another option is to contact a regular waste-hauling company that hauls refuse to a privately owned landfill. After my business took the dog waste to the landfill for several years we rented a dumpster and contracted for service from a regular trash hauling company with its own landfill. This was very convenient, and since we weren't taking the stuff to the public landfill any more, those regulations no longer affected us.
A third option that comes to mind is something I never tried, but was suggested by one of the people I talked to when I was trying to find a way past the landfill prohibition. Since the dog park is a city operation, you might be able to take the waste and dump it where RV's or septic tank pumpers dump their sewage.

Matthew




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 23-Jul-99 21:23:50

New Customers by the seasons

This question has been on my mind for a long time and I am not sure I like my own answers.

We all know that the best time to get new customers is in the spring and the 2nd best time in the fall. Bad times would be in the summer and winter.

I can explan spring, winter, and summer but the fall buggs me. Why would fall be better than summer? All the reasons I can think of do not compute. Matthew and all those in the business for some time, have perhaps some good reasons why this is true.





Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 24-Jul-99 00:35:24

Re: New Customers by the seasons

In the fall things get "back to normal" after the crazy days of summer. Vacations are over and a lot of businesses get busy again after seasonal slowdowns. With kids going back to school, fewer hours of daylight, etc, people have fewer hours to get all the household tasks done. They become more time-squeezed.
Another reason is the weather; some customers to stop service for the winter because they figure they're not going out into the yard all winter. But of course the dogs keep going out there. So some people consider that they don't want huge accumulations of dog poop in the yard over the winter, but they don't want to go out in the bad weather to clean it up. Some of these folks don't mind doing the job themselves when it's nice outstide, but call for someone else to do it when it starts to get cold.





Message Date/Time:
Monday, 26-Jul-99 19:16:51

Pooper Scooper - Project in NYC

I am in process of organizing a Pooper Scooper project for a small triangle park in the Lower East side and would like to know what kind of public spaces/services you all have seen that could be called "sucessful" attempts at educating and assisting dog owners in taking care of dog poop.

I am thinking of providing recycled bags and a bin in which walkers can place the poop.

Any other input/ideas??





Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 27-Jul-99 11:28:40

Re: Pooper Scooper - Project in NYC

What a wise idea, this way you don't get pooy hands!!!




Message Date/Time:
Monday, 18-Oct-99 01:37:33

Re: Pooper Scooper - Project in NYC

Check the web page of dogi-dogi.com. This system is used in many places in the southwest.
Las Vegas, Henderson, Flagstaff, San Francisco and many more. We think its a great system.




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 30-Jul-99 06:46:04

Dog Encounters

Let's talk specifics about actually encountering the dogs when you arrive to clean up the poop...I've been a pet sitter for several years and branching out into pooper scooping but I'm used to actually meeting the pets beforehand. In this case, I'm coming into the yard with no introductions. Please share with me your experiences with larger, more aggressive breeds as well as those doggy door surprises! I'm a little anxious here about being bitten, especially since I'm a small framed lady! Thanks!



Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 01-Aug-99 13:57:59

Re: Dog Encounters

Dear Roxanne,
I would try to meet the customers and their dogs to avoid as many surprises as possible. That might entail meeting them on a Saturday but you could always incorporate that into your first scooping visit. I think this has two good results #1 You get to meet the customer and the dog and make you feel more at ease and #2 the customer gets to know you, how you operate etc and helps put them at ease for the times you visit and they are not there. Hope this helps and best of luck on the scooping trail!




Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 14-Aug-99 13:01:18

Re: Dog Encounters

Roxanne,
I've been doing this for over three years and
have never had a problem with any of my dog
customers. What I do is ask the owners to be
there the first time I come so I can meet them and the dogs together and this seems to let the
dogs know that your ok and that their person thinks your alright to.Then I tell the customer
that they don't need to be present when I come to clean up the yard if the dogs are out. Just show the dogs some genuine affection when you meet them and you will be fine. And you can even carry treats with you. Believe me once you start coming on a regular basis the dogs will really start looking forward to your visits, which in turn makes your job all that more enjoyable !
Happy scooping,
Jerry




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 30-Jul-99 18:15:26

Need help

I have 2 questions. I'm getting ready to start a pets waste removal service and was wanting to know:
1. How do you go about getting set up to charge credit cards if the customer wants to charge (like getting one the simple machines that you just slide the card across), also how do any of you handle personal checks. I'd hate to get stiffed on a bounced check.

2. I'm wanting to get a small cartoonish picture to represent my company, how do you go about finding a drawer for that, as I can't draw worth a lick. I'd like to have the picture for my business cards and flyers. I have in mind what I want, just need it drawn.

Thanks




Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 01-Aug-99 13:48:37

Re: Need help

Terry,
Re your second question about getting a drawing done. I went to a local print shop with my idea as I cannot draw a straight line with a ruler and one of the employees there could draw. Be prepared to pay but find out up front and agree to a price. This is probably cheaper than going to a commercial artist. Best of luck!




Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 05-Aug-99 12:08:14

Re: Need help

I'd agree with Mick about finding a cheaper source than a commercial graphic artist. Ask everyone you know if they can draw. Together you can come up with some ideas and try a few out. You might also contact a local college. They have art departments and a student may help you out for cheap.

As for your first question, DooAway doesn't take credit cards. We've never even had anyone ask. Most people don't expect to pay their bills by credit card. (When was the last time you submitted your visa card to pay your electric bill? :)

As for getting stiffed--we've had a few problems, but we're getting wiser. We stay on top of late payers. The day their bill is due, we give them a call. We always stay polite, even months down the road after we've stopped service and they still haven't paid. Every month we send them a friendly notice, with a late fee, and give them a phone call. The result is that all but one of our customers has now paid in full--even those that had gone months without paying! It helps us to keep a laid-back attitude, while really staying on top of things. That way we don't get stressed by late payers, but we also don't let them go.

Good luck!



Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 18-Aug-99 20:26:38

Re: Re: Need help

I am thinking about starting my own pooper scoop business. What I would like to know is what is the going rate to charge someone? Also how many times a month do you clean their yards?

Thanks!




Message Date/Time:
Monday, 09-Aug-99 21:27:46

Re: Need help

The service you are asking about is called a Merchant Account. Here is a number that you might want to call to get set up. 334.368.5020. Just tell them you are calling to get rates on a merchant accout. The simple machine you're talking about is called a "Knuckle Buster". If approved, you will have a Merchant Account with a company called "Card Services". Good luck with your business...wish you were in Alabama.

P.S. Card Services has a 98% approval rate. Tell them Carolyn sent ya!