Pet Waste Removal
At Dogpark.com, we're big advocates of picking up after your dog - when your dog poops, clean it right up. Simple at the dog park, but we know from personal experience that it's a different matter entirely at home. Who knew that one medium-sized dog could make such a mess of the yard? We've tried everything - in-ground doggie septic tanks, single bagging, throwing it out with the regular trash - there is just no elegant way to dispose of all that poop.
Until now. Meet Tidy Turf, the 'Pet Waste Removal Company'. When we saw their sign at the local dog park we cheered: finally, a solution for all that poop! We spoke with Tidy Turf co-founder George Gadda about how he and his partner, Hilary Finch, got into the pet waste removal business. The answer was simple - they'd become parents of a dog.
Like many new dog owners, they were puzzled about the best way to dispose of all the 'dog mines' that their Akita, Pacino, deposited around the yard. At the same time, they were looking around for a business of their own. After some good brainstorming, visits to dog shows and events and some man-in-the-street research, Tidy Turf was born.
This decade-old company literally 'picks up where your dog leaves off'. From just $15 per week, Tidy Turf removes the dog waste from your property. And it's not always where you'd expect to find it: George has become expert in finding a dog's most private potty places in the yard. He scoops (and will let you know if he spots any potential health problems in what he picks up), double bags the waste and disposes it in the household's outdoor garbage can. Tools and footwear are disinfected after every stop, and gates and entrances are carefully secured.
In case this sounds like a niche too small to build a business around, consider this: Tidy Turf referrals come in from garden centers and nursuries, gardeners, veterinarians, humane societies and dog parks. In fact, dog park cleanup is one of their specialties. Residential clients range from small houses with a single dog to a famous musician with three acres and two dogs. George and Hilary have discovered a basic truth of dog ownership - picking up dog waste is a chore people will gladly pay to have someone else do.
Tools of the trade are simple - a 5 gallon, plastic-lined pickle bucket, scooper and rubber gloves. What makes Tidy Turf special is their attitude: they genuinely enjoy working with dogs and people and are happy to provide a needed service. Highly professional, they possess a tremendous sense of humor about their work. Tidy Turf's tagline is, "We're # 1 in the # 2 business!"
Tidy Turf operates in Marin and Sonoma counties in northern California. http://www.tidyturf.com/
