April Fool's Day is coming up, but International Pooper Scooper Week, scheduled for April 1 to 7, is no joke. I mean, it might be to some, but we've chosen to take the concept seriously (more or less) and learn about the whys and wherefores of collecting road apples from Debbie Levy, co-owner of Yucko's. Yucko's has been scooping up after hounds for 23 years now. Fair warning: Read this one after you've eaten, not before.
What is International Pooper Scooper Week? It was created by APAWS, the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists. Yucko's is one of the founding organizations of that group. It raises awareness of what we do and how important it is.
How many pet-waste-removal companies are in APAWS? There are close to 100 companies from all over the country, including pet-sitting and dog-walking companies, too.
That's a lot. Well, it's just one of those things people don't like to talk about. But when people find out there's a company like ours, they're laughing, and if we can make them laugh, humor is good for people. But honestly, we handle the one aspect of dog ownership that people really don't care for. Some people will change a dirty diaper but they just won't pick up dog poop. And then there are the older and handicapped people who can't bend over, and we are delighted to be able to help them own dogs.
What does APAWS do for the industry? It brings awareness and credibility to the industry. Everybody thought we were a joke. We have a "Turd Herding Contest" at our annual convention. This year it's in Chicago. It's to see how much a waste professional can pick up in a timed contest.
Do you use real or facsimile poop for the contest? Right now we're using facsimile poop. In the past we've used cut-up potatoes. We're considering adding prunes. Check out the web page for it—the rules are hysterical. We also have "Name That Turd," where we have actual piles of poop in jars, and you have to name what breed of dog it is and if it ate dry or wet food.
Which of the various pooper scoopers do you use? I know there are a few different designs. That's a scooping trade secret. Ya gotta hire us. Hopefully you'll never know because you won't see us. That's the beauty of the business—we come to you, get the job done, leave, and you might never see us. Out of sight, out of mind. We do leave a "PU Card" behind.
A PU Card? That stands for "Pick Up," to let you know we've been there and picked up the poop. If we see something odd in the waste or find something noteworthy in the yard, we put that in the note, too. The other day we found a client's keys in her front door.
What other unusual items have you found in people's back yards? We had diamond earrings once, but the client had told us we might find them because she'd lost them. We've found money, nylons, condoms, right there in the back yard. Dogs like to eat all kinds of things.
Do your employees bring rubber gloves and/or an extra pair of shoes with them? Each has his own technique. They're professional turd herders. They're pretty good about where they step.
When your employees go to pick up after the dogs, do the dogs themselves sometimes come outside, possibly through doggie doors, and say hello to them? The dogs get to know their turd herders and go outside all the time and say hello to them. They can't wait to see them—they're like family.
What do you do with the poop once you've picked it up? We double-bag it and put it in the clients' trash cans.
Do you do litter boxes, too? We don't offer that, because we don't go inside people's homes when they're not home.
Do you do horses? No, we don't do horses. We used to do pot-bellied pigs. I enjoyed cleaning up after them.
How often do you recommend a visit from a professional turd herder? It depends on the size of the yard and how many dogs there are.
Yucko's is famous around these parts for your funny company slogans. Remind us of some. "Got poop?" "What goes in must come out." And then there's the one they wouldn't let us do outdoors: "Your dog's dreck is how we make our gelt."
That is so bizarre that they wouldn't let you use the word dreck, Yiddish for poop. They also banned our cartoon pile of poop on some of our ads from some outdoor advertising. You can't fight city hall.
I guess you get free advertising when people see Yucko's vehicles with your logo on the side, though? Our vehicles are not labeled. A lot of people don't want their neighbors to know their business. The best advertising is word of mouth, anyway.
How has technology changed the pooper-scooper industry since you started Yucko's in 1990? Antibacterial hand cream got big. Oh, and there's now a motorized vacuum that sucks up the poop instead of a scooper. One guy came out with a scooper with a light on it. There's always something new.
In addition to scooping, Yucko's also sells funerary urns for pets, replica fire hydrants, oxygen masks for pets, waste bags, and peach-flavored bubbles for dogs to chase and pop. The oxygen mask is wonderful. I talked to a lady in Jamaica the other day with a mini horse that's pregnant. Because the horse has breathing problems, she ordered a mask, just to be on the safe side when the horse goes into labor. I also sold one to a lady with a dog with a collapsed trachea. They're good to have around if you have a fire and the pets are affected by smoke inhalation. People love the replica fire hydrants, too. Dogs love to pee on them.
You've been doing this locally for 23 years now, wow. Yes. I wonder how many tons of poop we've picked up in all that time? In two years we have a big anniversary. One of the things I'm doing now is looking for the first scooping company. I've been researching that, and there's not a lot of good data on it. I've been calling and emailing people.
