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There's no business like doggie business
© St. Petersburg Times The official party line these days, no matter what the Dow Jones Industrial Average says, is that the economy is in good shape, unless you work for or own stock in one of those companies where phantom bookkeeping left all of the stockholders and most of the employees holding a very large bag. But if you ask Judy Shadwick, her business stinks. Literally. Go ahead, ask her. She will be the one driving the white van with the giant (I'm not kidding) fiberglass, wood and papier-mache pile of dog do, complete with surrounding flies, as she goes to the homes of the 20 current clients of her dog-poop scooping business. Why, I thought, when an editor sent me one of Shadwick's business cards, do these things always land on my desk? Assuming it was a joke, I went ahead and called the DoGPile Patrol and, after a brief wrestling match with her Caller ID program, talked to the head poop scooper. And, yes, it's for real. "You have to remember that there are people who can't clean up after their dogs because of age or allergies or disabilities," said Shadwick, "and some just don't have time." At rates varying from $9 to clean up after one dog one time a week up to $46 to clean up after four dogs biweekly, Shadwick will come to your home, if it's in Pasco, Hernando, north Pinellas or northwest Hillsborough, and "remove the least pleasant aspect of dog ownership," as she puts it. And don't bother with the jokes, she has heard them. "Yes, our business is picking up," she said. "And, yes, your dog's business is our business," and, yes . . ." she said, repeating a couple of other insider gems. Shadwick, 42, was at the other end of the olfactory spectrum when she started in the business world years ago. "I did floral design," she said, "and later I was a commercial artist." Later on she entered the dog grooming business, with Pooch Parlor, a mobile operation in Lutz, but an automobile accident five years ago changed that. "I had some balance troubles and I just didn't want to be around the eyes of animals with sharp scissors. That sent her into commercial art for a while, until two years ago. "I hit 40 and decided that I wanted to do something I really liked, and I love animals, so this was it," she said. "I had wanted to be a veterinary assistant when I got out of high school, and this just seemed like a good idea. She does the pickup portion of her work with a spade-like tool and a "lobby pan," the kind of thing you see them cleaning up theater auditoriums with, places the result in sealed bags and then takes them home and puts them in her trash bin. "We disinfected all of the tools and our shoes after each yard," she said. DoGPile serves dogs of all sizes. "Actually the big dogs, like Labs are easier," she said. "It's the little ones where you really have to keep your nose to the ground." "I actually feel good about what I do," she said. "I'm not all that big on dealing with people, but I love dealing with their dogs, and this gives me a chance to do that. I have also done some dog-sitting and dog-walking." She loves animals and was active for a while in an organization that rescued boxer dogs. "I've got two boxers and a boxer-mix and four cockatiels," she said, and, yes, she does clean up after the birds, too. Right now DoGPile is a one-woman operation, but Shadwick is seeking contracts with some parks and sees opportunity for expansion. "I've got 20 customers now," she said, "but when I hit 100, I'll be hiring." If you have questions, the company has a Web site: www.dogpilepatrol.com and you can reach Shadwick by e-mail at K9scooper@dogpilepatrol.com or at (727) 856-7448. And say what you will about the business, but as far as I can tell the bookkeeping is honest, the chief executive officer is forthcoming, available to answer questions and not getting rich off of other people's efforts. And you'll find the poop neatly sealed in plastic bags -- not in the quarterly reports.
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