By Carolyn Webb
It can be lovely to own a dog but there is one not-so-pleasant chore that comes with the territory — picking up its poo.
Not everyone has the time, nerve or physical ability to do away with their doggo’s doo-doos. And now they can pay someone else to do it.
Jesse Harkness, owner of Doody Duty, with Beau and Bella, two of client Shalini Fonseka’s dogs.Credit: Chris Hopkins
There are a handful of pet-waste removal companies that, for a fee, will pick up your pooch’s poo from your yard.
Shalini Fonseka, of Truganina, in Melbourne’s outer west, struggled with the issue before finding a business called Doody Duty over a year ago.
Fonseka has four dogs: Bella the groodle, Beau the French bulldog and labrador retriever crosses Breezy and Bruno.
She says it’s been worth it to pay Doody Duty owner Jesse Harkness $40 a week, or $10 per dog, to render her backyard poo-free.
Truganina resident Shalini Fonseka, with her four dogs, chats to Harkness.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Fonseka and her husband, Anjelo, both work full time and are expecting their second child.
She says they have no energy or time to pick up dog poo from their backyard. Outsourcing the task “takes the hassle away”.
Harkness, of Werribee, first ran Doody Duty (doody being American slang for “poo”) in 2015 for a year with a handful of clients.
He restarted the business in 2022 and now has 50 regular clients across Melbourne, plus one-off customers.
Some clients call him after things have gotten out of hand.
But most jobs are “not that bad” and he enjoys working outdoors, and befriending clients and their pets.
Harkness likes the independence, quipping, “I’d rather pick up dog shit than work for an employer.”
Most clients call him because they are too busy with work and kids. About one in 10 find picking up dog poo too revolting to do themselves, and a further 10 per cent have physical disabilities.
The latter are the most thankful, he says, because it enables them to have a canine companion. “You can see that you’re having a positive impact on their lives.”
Melanie and Adrian Petkovic run A&M Dog Poo Cleaning Services, based on the Mornington Peninsula.
Adrian and Melanie Petkovic started A&M Mobile Dog Poo Cleaning on the Mornington Peninsula 10 years ago, inspired by successful American companies like DoodyCalls.
But in their first year, A&M had one client, a labrador owner in Cranbourne.
Melanie worried that “it wasn’t going anywhere” but is proud that Adrian persisted and they now have 50 regular clients, found via online advertising, word of mouth and distributing leaflets.
Rick Xuereb, from ScoopAPoop, with his British bulldog, Snoop.
A newcomer to the industry is Rick Xuereb, of Clunes, who has acquired 20 regular clients, mostly in Ballarat suburbs, since starting his business, ScoopAPoop, in October.
Xuereb, a single father, says the job allows him to work around caring for his nine-year-old son.
The cutest client dog Xuereb has met is a dachshund called Elvis who used to bark but is now “a happy little bugger, always wagging his tail”.
Xuereb, who owns three dogs, says liking and being unafraid of animals is a must.
“I think I’ve got a good way with dogs, and that helps a lot,” he says.
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