A Real “Down in the Dumps” Job that Makes this Former Web Designer Happy

She’s down in the dumps alright, that of the dog and cat kind. Meet Stephanie Chow, owner of a newly found small business in Asheville called Pet Poo Skiddoo. Her company offers unusual services for local residents, which include scooping up dog waste in their yards and cleaning out their cat’s litter boxes. So how exactly do you go from web design to a poop scoopin’ biz?

Stephanie says,

I was tired of making websites for other startup businesses and watching them grow. I wanted to be one of them! Sitting in front of a computer screen all day just wasn’t enough. I wanted to be out there, getting my hands “dirty”, and helping pet owners and the environment alike. I saw a need in our town where we have a lot of pet owners here with busy schedules. Although our cats and dogs bring us so much joy, they also require a lot of work. I am a proud pet owner myself with 3 cats and 3 dogs so you better believe I know a thing or two about pet poo.

Stephanie goes on to explain that pet waste is a much more serious issue than we think. There are over 73 million dogs in the U.S. now and the population is still growing. While this is a good thing that more and more dogs are being rescued and adopted, more systems need to be put in place to accommodate the increased “output” on our land.

The average dog alone discards approximately three quarters of a pound of waste per day, which adds up to 275 pounds per year! Just one gram of that can contain 23 million fecal coliform bacteria. Each dropping can contain many hazards including hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms and salmonella, any of which can be spread by contact. Although people would never think of being hands-on with their dog’s poo, much of it is spread without their knowledge. Lawnmowers will actually chop up the waste into smaller pieces and spread it further throughout your yard. Most likely you are stepping in those pieces and bringing it into your house. Others can come in contact with pieces in the soil while gardening. Even when it has visibly disappeared, the parasite eggs it contained can linger on for years in your soil – leaving your family and your pets vulnerable to serious infection.

This might just be a service that pet owners didn’t even know they needed. Her yard scooping services start as low as $10/week. If you are a pet owner in need of some help whether removing waste from your yard, contact Stephanie at Pet Poo Skiddoo!

When Stephanie is not cleaning up the town, she enjoys taking hula hooping, woodworking, sewing, and of course cuddling up with her beloved pets.