Picking Up After Dogs is Local Man's 'Doody'

WASHINGTON - If you're a pet owner, it's part of the job -- probably the least fun part.

Your dog's waste is Jacob D'Aniello's bread and butter. D'Aniello is the owner of DoodyCalls, the first poop-scooping franchise in the country.

"No one likes picking up dog poop. The last thing people want to do on the weekends is spend an hour or two outside picking up dog poop," D'Aniello says.

For about $15 a week, DoodyCalls workers will walk your lawn with their tools of the trade.

"[We use] a dustpan lined with a garbage bag and then based on preference, either a rake or a small shovel to pick up the dog waste," D'Aniello says.

D'Aniello says people often don't clean up after their dogs in the winter, so now business is brisk for his poop scoopers.

"We're cleaning up probably 500 piles a day," he says.

For those who think there must be an easier way to make a living, D'Aniello says he met his wife while poop scooping.

"It's a low tech business, but it provides a very useful service for our clients," he says.

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