Site Map |
Search This Site |
Contact Site Owner
DOG OWNERS: Love your dog -- hate poop?
Help is here at last!
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.
Archive
Page 1 |
Page 2
|
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
30 |
31 |
32 |
33 |
34 |
35 |
36 |
37 |
38 |
39 |
40 |
41 |
42 |
43 |
44 |
45 |
46 |
47 |
48 |
49 |
50 |
51 |
52 |
53 |
54 |
55 |
56 |
57 |
58 |
59 |
60 |
61 |
62 |
63 |
64 |
65 |
66 |
67 |
68 |
69 |
70 |
71 |
72 |
73 |
74 |
75 |
76 |
77 |
78 |
79 |
80 |
81 |
82 |
83 |
84 |
85 |
86 |
87 |
88 |
89 |
90 |
91 |
92 |
93 |
94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
100 |
101 |
102 |
103 |
104 |
105 |
106
Page Thirty-Nine
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 02-Jan-00 02:07:41
Poop
Hi, loved the site. Your business is quite interesting. We have laws where we live, where violaters (those who don't pick up) are fined.
I'm just curious what you do with the poop once you pick it up? Where do you dump it?
--------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 02-Jan-00 14:27:51
Re: Poop
Hi Liz,
We dump it the same place the dog owner would dump it according to the city or county ordinances. In The Reno/Lake Tahoe area, that means placing it in plastic bags (doubled bagged) and putting the bags in the trash cans that the Sanitation Department supplies for home owners. In outlying areas, it is the garbage containers that the home owner purchases.
Our service is the labor of finding and picking up the poop (and the general handling of a situation that folks can't or won't deal with for whatever reasons). The Sanitation Dept. does the disposing at the local landfill. That way we don't have to deal with hauling and Toxic Waste permits. The Sanitation Department loves us, by the way!
Tricia
-------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 04-Jan-00 08:46:52
Re: Poop
It usually goes to a landfill eventually. But various services handle the disposal in different ways, and there are different regulations and local laws pertaining to waste disposal around the country.
Some pooper-scoopers double-bag the waste and leave it in the customers' own trash cans. Others take it away with them; I personally prefer that approach.
If you are just starting out or have only a few customers, you might be able to put the waste in with your own trash.
When I first started, there was really no legal and practical way to get rid of the objectionable material. I was getting too much to put in my own trash and the local trash-dumping places had animal feces on their lists of prohibited materials. After a few phone calls I learned that I should apply for a Special Waste Permit from the Ohio EPA, which I did. When that permit was approved, I took that to our county landfill management and they agreed to try it for a limited time, with limited amounts of waste.
That worked fine, and after that when I re-applied for permission to dispose of more and more waste at the landfill, there was never a problem.
Eventually my own trucks were dumping more than 2,000 pounds a week at the landfill. Then I found that it was cheaper and much more convenient to hire one of the regular refuse disposal services and rent a dumpster. The service empties the dumpster twice a week.
I hope we'll read about how other pooper-scoopers who participate in this Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board handle their disposal needs. :)
Matthew Osborn
matthew@pooper-scooper.com
----------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 06-Jan-00 01:28:24
Re: Poop
I'm with Liz, We simply toss it in the owner's garbage can unless: 1. Their trash collection has already occurred for that week. 2. They prefer we remove it from the premises. Fortunately, we do several condos throughout the week and we can use their dumpsters.
Tim
-------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Monday, 03-Jan-00 01:24:13
It is interesting the people you meet...
A little girl passed away today. she had an operation about two months ago. A man from England and her mother donated part of their lungs to her; she was ten from Israel.
He had seen our ad in the paper and called to find out what we were all about. We have kept in touch all this time. So now I have a new friend in England and he has a Yucko's t-shirt. He had saw in a paper about the plead of her family looking for a donor. He contacted them and went through all the test; he paid his own airfare to come to the states. The operation was done here in St. Louis at Children's Hospital. You never know who you might meet...
---------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 11-Jan-00 09:17:02
Re: It is interesting the people you meet...
What a touching and inspiring story...that a total stranger would give so much of himself to help another in need - it is a true testament to the good that is in all people (Praise God) - not something you hear about too often in this society/day/time. My prayers are with the little girls family and with the man from England.
---------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 19-Feb-00 21:23:57
Re: It is interesting the people you meet...
I was just wondering if the person who wrote about the little girl that died, knew the family.
and did she have CF. thanks for the response.
------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Monday, 03-Jan-00 21:46:12
DOG SHOW PRICING
HI EVERYONE,
MOST DOG SHOWS I HAVE BEEN TO HAVE VOLUNTEERS FOR THEIR POOPER SCOOPERS (HUMANE SOCIETY, GIRL SCOUTS ETC.)I HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY A SHOW MANAGER FOR PRICES FOR THEIR SHOW. 3 DAYS, 8 PEOPLE 10 HOURS EACH DAY. WANT TO EXPAND,BUT DONT WANT TO GIVE MY SERVICES AWAY. HAS ANYONE DELT WITH ANY DOG SHOWS IN THE PAST, AND WHAT DID YOU CHARGE.....ANY INSIGHTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED!!!!!!
THANKS,
BERNIE
----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 04-Jan-00 15:06:08
Re: DOG SHOW PRICING
We do the dog shows in our area each year. Our rate varies by the size of the show, but averages about $150 per day. We'd use two people for that size of show. Usually we just give the show away to a couple of our employees as a "perk." They do the work and keep the money, while we benefit from exposure and good dog community relations.
-----------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 04-Jan-00 16:00:41
Disinfecting Tools, etc
I'm curious as to your disinfecting procedure after each yard: do you spray your tools and boots with your disinfectant in the yard, driveway, street? Does that not contribute to the 'stormwater pollution' that you are trying to avoid? Why not use diposable hospital 'booties' for each yard. It's bound to look impressive.
-----------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 04-Jan-00 23:21:56
Bad weather days,Holidays
What happens when you miss a day because of weather or a holliday falls in the middle of the week? When do you do all those jobs that you missed? If you have jobs everyday I don't see how you can make a whole day up.
Thanks, Neal
-----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Friday, 07-Jan-00 07:04:31
Re: Bad weather days,Holidays
This is an important part of the regular planning needed for the business. In general, it's not too difficult to make up for holidays or missed days, but it is something you need to think about ahead of time.
It's good to have slightly more labor capacity available than needed for normal daily work. That is, try not to stretch yourself -- and your employees, if you have them -- to the limit of your capability just for routine work needs. There will always be unforseen events that will place additional demand on your work force every now and then. You or one of your workers may get sick, you could have a truck break down, and so on.
If you build a little cushion into the amount of labor you need for regular work, then you'll have that extra capacity to use for make-up days.
Sometimes it may be necessary to schedule make-ups over two days, and that's OK. For instance, if you miss a Tuesday, you can re-schedule those days over Wednesday and Thursday. If you have a holiday coming up and you know ahead of time that you will miss a day, you can schedule some of those jobs in the day or two before the holiday, and some of them after the holiday.
If you don't normally schedule work on Saturdays or Sundays, you can use one or both of those days for make-up work, too.
Sometimes there will be missed work that you won't be able to make up for in the same week. This can happen if there is a big snow, for instance. In that case, you'll just have more to clean up when you do make it back to the yard on your normal day.
Sometimes you just have to work longer hours than your regular schedule normally requires.
--------------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 11-Jan-00 07:47:49
Re: Bad weather days,Holidays
If you can't make up a day, lost revenue. Bad news, but sometimes unavoidable. Prepare your customers before snow season (NOW he tells me!) and remind them in a newsletter. If you miss a few, call them and tell them why and when you expect to be there again. Use your voicemail message to inform anyone who calls while you are working to catch up. Most customers will be understanding as long as they know what is happening and that you are trying to catch up.
------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 05-Jan-00 15:40:29
Disinfecting Tools sorry: wrong E-mail address
Sorry, gang, just noticed I misspelled my E-mail address...I had asked about disinfecting your equipment in the customer's yard....any suggestions? Do you collect the spray...wipe it off with paper towels?
----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Friday, 07-Jan-00 06:53:17
Re: Disinfecting Tools sorry: wrong E-mail address
This is an interesting question.
I always just sprayed my tools and shoes when at the truck, on the street. The sprayer only uses a couple of ounces of liquid for each cleaning. I don't think the spray contribures to pollution, though I haven't really studied that. Certainly the hundreds of pounds of feces that we remove in a day's cleaning would have had a far worse impact than the small amount of spray we use.
The idea of using disposable booties had crossed my mind before, but I think the cost would be too high, the time putting them on and removing them would be a consideration, and there would still be the need to clean the shovel and scoop with the disinfecting spray. There may be some who use them, though; if there are, I'd like to hear how it works for them.
-----------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 08-Jan-00 10:58:30
Re: Disinfecting Tools sorry: wrong E-mail address
I do the same as Matthew, clean my shoes, shovel, and scoop at curbside in the grassy area by my auto. The reason for this is because I don't want to have to carry my disinfectant with me along with my other tools. Usually, there is only a small amount of feces on my shoes or tools and I don't clean them in the drain area so there is less likely of runoff or pollution. It's fast and easy and works for me.
-----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 09-Jan-00 21:31:03
Re: Disinfecting Tools sorry: wrong E-mail address
I use KenCare from RC Steele and a pump up garden sprayer from Home Depot. I clean boots, gloves and shovel in the gutter at my truck. The KenCare kills whatever may be a prob in the storm sewer.
--------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Friday, 07-Jan-00 17:54:06
Custumers
Hello I'm getting ready to start my own and have ordred Matthew's book. However as I have been ready the message board I have read that some people are having problems getting customers. Some people have spent 1,500.00 to 1,800.00 and no calls. So I was wondering if anyboby out there that has had good luck finding customers could you report in? I would just like to read some good news about this area of the buisness. Thank you.
Neal
----------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 08-Jan-00 23:36:14
recycling our "finds"
Has any one out there heard of, or know of places that buy the poop to use it for recycling,gardening, fertilizing,ect.....
What is the easiest wasy to dispose of the poop at the end of the day? Thanks
----------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 09-Jan-00 13:44:31
Re: recycling our "finds"
Have you read through the archives? All sorts of answers in there.
-----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 09-Jan-00 21:26:46
Disposing of waste
The most economical way I found and what Matt used was a dumpster on premisise. I have a 1 yard can and get it emptied about every three weeks. As I get more volume, I'll just have it emptied more often. By the time it needs emptying more often than once a week, I'll get a location away from my house and get a 4 yard can or something.
----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 11-Jan-00 01:57:16
Re: recycling our "finds"
In all the years I've been involved with this industry, I've never heard of any market for dog poop. It's not recommended to use it for compost for gardens, especially for vegetables. It apparently takes a higher heat to kill pathogens in the waste of meat-eating animals like dogs and there is some risk of contaminating the foods grown in such compost.
The easiest way to dispose of the poop is to send it to a landfill, either by taking it there yourself or putting it in your trash.
---------------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 11-Jan-00 13:00:11
Re: recycling our "finds"
Dee Ann,
Have you heard of "E.coli"? Nasty stuff...and it is why the government agencies of most cities are concerned about removal and DISPOSAL of dog "manure!" (It is even in your dictionary, check it out!!) It is a bacteria found in dog poop that can infect the ground water---fecal pollution---is its formal name, diarrhea is its game! So its not likely anyone would want to BUY the poop unless they are up to no good!! This is also why a Poop Scooping service is SO important to the community.
The easiest method of disposal, I have found, is to cooperate with said government agencies by disposing of it as the dog owner is SUPPOSED to dispose of it. In my case, it is double bagged and placed in the outside garbage container of the home-owner. That way the Sanitation Dept (who is the official, licensed disposer of toxic waste) does the job they have been hired by the government agency to do... Easy method and everyone is happy!
---------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Friday, 14-Jan-00 22:02:32
Re: Re: recycling our "finds"
Hi Dee Ann!
I usually double bag those little "golden nuggets" and place the bag in the owner's garbage. This keeps my van smelling nice and my neighbors tend to like me more too!
---------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 09-Jan-00 15:19:52
Saturdays only?
Hi! We are considering starting a business here in our town of about 15,000. Since my husband works full time for someone else right now and he is the one who will be operating the business, Saturday is the only day he will have until we can build up the clientele enough for him to quit his job. Is anyone else operating a business in a town as small as ours and did anyone else start out on Saturdays? We plan to buy Matthew's book, but we want to make absolutely sure we are going to do this as even $32 is a lot of money to us right now! Thanks.
JS
--------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 09-Jan-00 22:25:24
Re: Saturdays only?
1) Buy the book, it is cheap and it answers all of the questions that pop up when you start
2)I found that this business starts slowly. But it keeps growing. I have been picking up on Saturdays and it works out fine. I find my customers really don't care when I pick up, just that I am dependable and I do a good job
Good Luck and Keep in touch !
------------------------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 09-Jan-00 15:30:54
other small towns
I forgot to mention when I said we live in a town of about 15,000 that we have towns of the same size surrounding us. We could do these other towns on different days once we get the business going. This is Oklahoma folks, not many BIG cities, but lots of small ones close to each other! What do you think?
js
----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Monday, 10-Jan-00 01:37:36
Telemarketing
Has anyone tried telemarketing in their area? A business consultant who writes for the local paper said that the greatest number of his leads came from phoning. Different realm of work, of course. I figure 60-90 calls in 3 hours on a given day should produce a few clients. What do you think? If I had a couple of people helping and derived 5 clients/week, LOOK OUT. That is some big revenue.
Gracias
----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 19-Jan-00 06:58:30
Re: Telemarketing
I personally have not tried telemarketing, but Bernie, from Neighborhood K9 Cleanup Services, Inc. in Livonia, Michigan, wrote to me and asked me to tell the folks here in the message board that he has had good luck with telemarketing for his business.
He says, "Yes, it's expensive, but it's working."
Let us all know how it works for you, OK?
Matthew Osborn
matthew@pooper-scooper.com
---------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 11-Jan-00 07:51:56
Service in Ann Arbor, MI?
One of my customers is moving to Ann Arbor and is looking for a service provider there. I saw some listings for Michigan, but none that I identified as Ann Arbor. Anyone working that area?
BTW, this is a good customer. Two dogs, twice each week, always pays on time.
-----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 18-Jan-00 13:37:53
Re: Service in Ann Arbor, MI?
I'VE STARTED A WAITING LIST FOR A COUPLE OF THE SURROUNDING AREAS, WE WOULD LIKE TO ENTER THE ANN ARBOR MARKET BUT THE LIST HAS NOT GROWN ENOUGH YET TO JUSTIFY THE TRIP YET. IF YOUR CUSTOMER WOULD LIKE TO GET ON OUR LIST. I WILL SEND THEM INFORMATION AND I WILL FOLLOW UP MYSELF.WE ARE PRESENTLY IN LIVONIA MI. SERVICING PLYMOUTH.CANTON NOVI, FARMINGTON AND SURROUNDING CITIES. THANKS....
BERNIE