Local couple Megan and Richard Herrera start animal poop cleaning services for those in need in Tulare County among other communities

VISALIA – What started out as a side hustle to make some extra cash as “glorified pooper scoopers,” has turned into a business helping people in need. 

In 2019, Megan Herrera and her husband Richard created a pet waste company called Scoopity Poops. The business began by simply scooping dog waste from residential areas and hauling it away from the property. Since then, their services have expanded to offering a variety of services including sanitization and even a cat litter box service. The business is still new, and the couple is open to new service ideas in order to help anyone they can. 

“So if there’s a need…we are open to helping people solve the problems because we really just want to help people out,” Megan said. “It’s a crappy job, literally. Nobody likes it, so if we can lend a helping hand, then we would love to do that.”

Scoopity Poops is owned and operated by only Megan and Richard. When the couple was looking for an extra job to earn some cash after Megan had a baby, the two began evaluating which market was missing in the Valley. The two are working to be able to expand, and have high hopes and big visions of what they will be able to do for the community. Currently, according to Megan, the service area they cover is Tulare, Visalia, Dinuba and Hanford, but they are open to expanding to additional locations, if there is a need. Megan encourages individuals to reach out even if they are not in the specific service area.

According to Megan, the majority of the business has been built upon the needs of others. All the services they offer now, were not originally in the plans for the business. If a customer needs something, Scoopity Poops will do the research to see if it is a possibility for their customers. Since 2019, the business has not advertised much more than instagram and facebook ads, on the next door app and word of mouth. The Herrera’s have decided to start better marketing tactics to see where that will get them. 

Megan said they weren’t sure where the business would take them as this area is different from some other locations where scooping businesses are successful. She said they have found several clients in those who work a lot, or are disabled or elderly. Scoopity Poops currently offers a variety of options for clients.

Currently the different services are offered once a week, twice a week, every other week or simply a one time clean up. Prices increase based on a variety of reasons, one of which includes how many animals are on the property. Additional add-ons are the microbial deodorizer, litter box service and a bucket service. For those individuals who may have quite a few dogs, or need services provided more than twice a week, they can opt for the bucket service. 

Bucket service provides individuals with an option to be able to keep their yard clean more often as well as keep their trash bins free of dog waste. Scoopity Poops provides customers with a sanitized and lined five gallon bucket for the animal waste, which is then picked up and disposed of. When customers choose to have a litter box service, Scoopity Poops provides the customer with two litter boxes; one box is in use inside, and the other is stored until it is swapped on pick up day. Customers will place the dirty box on the porch waiting for a technician to come clean and sanitize each week.

The microbial deodorizer is a chemical that Megan discovered because it is used more with large animals such as horses and livestock. The service is provided to help keep the area where pets play clean and free of harmful germs. 

“When you spray [the chemical] on leftover residue, fecal matter, things like that it decomposes it with beneficial bacteria,” Megan said. “It goes into the ground, and it continues to eat away at it so there’s no residue left.”

Scoopity Poops has also discovered and switched to a different chemical called Wysiwash that is used across the nation to sanitize and deodorize. This service is provided at an additional cost for any customer who wishes to use it. Megan said they currently have a customer who has to deal with feral cats using the sandbox where children play. Scoopity Poops comes and cleans the sandbox and sprays it down to clean it with Wysiwash.

Megan said they are in the process of trying to get involved with parks and recreation in surrounding cities to possibly help keep the pet waste stations up and running in parks. This would mean Scoopity Poops would keep the waste stations stocked with bags as well as dispose of the dog waste. Additionally, Scoopity Poops would like to help with local dog parks. Not only would they help with basic clean up, but Megan said they would also want to provide a weekly or twice a week maintenance service in addition to sanitizing and deodorizing services. 

“We would be able to come out and spray a chemical out there that’s safe for the grass, safe for the dogs, safe for humans,” Megan said. “That would help keep some of the canine diseases from popping up, I know Parvo is really big in this area and feline diseases as well.”

As for the name, it began as a joke according to Megan, but it stuck and the rest is history. 

“It was an inside joke about some lyrics from a song,” Megan said. “When we were brainstorming for a good name for the business it came back up and we laughed about it and then decided to run with it. Everyone loves the name, so I guess it was a good idea.”

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