WILMINGTON — Twenty-four-year-old Dustin Ainsworth is an entrepreneurship and business development student at UNCW. After working different jobs over the years, he decided to combine his knowledge of the business world with his love of animals. Thus, Doggy Doody Patrol LLC, was born.
Ainsworth said he has always wanted to go into management, but it just hadn’t been in the cards. Finally, he decided to take the leap himself, proceeding into what he’s determined is an under-served market.
“I just thought, instead of working for somebody, I’d rather work for myself, and have my work ethic pave my way,” Ainsworth said. “Because I bust my tail wherever I go.”
Environmentally conscious pet waste removal
The brand new company, which opened just last week, offers pet waste removal, as well as other services, for both residential and commercial properties in Wilmington and the surrounding area.
Doggy Doody will come to your home for a starting fee of $20 per yard. After that, it’s $12.50 per visit, increasing by $2.50 per dog, per yard. The Patrol will come on your schedule, be it once a week, or twice a month. Full pricing information can be found on the company’s website.
Using a large yard-debris dustbin lined with a trash bag, and a specialized yard rake, the patrol removes the waste from customers’ yards, leaving them clean and tidy. From there, the waste is stored in a large trash container until it can be properly disposed of.
The company also sanitizes and cleans all its equipment between each job to prevent the spread of any unwanted disease, sicknesses, or parasites that could possibly harm your four-legged friend.
While customers enjoy having a clean yard, one of the main reasons Ainsworth wanted to get into the doody business, was to have a positive impact on the environment.
“I did some research and pet waste is the third largest contributor to pollution in an urban environment,” Ainsworth said. “Especially with all the rain that we get, if people leave that out in their yard, the runoff just goes down into the watershed. Groundwater and well water can get polluted, it’s definitely something people need to be aware of, and I hope to alleviate.”
Another side of Ainsworth’s business is a “Goose Poop Removal” service. Canada Geese, although often a nuisance to property owners, are a federally protected species of waterfowl, meaning they cannot be harassed or chased from property.
“Geese on average poop every 12 minutes, and a lot of people don’t know that,” he said. “You have a lot of golf courses, common areas and other just nice areas, covered in geese poop. It’s not pleasant to be around, you don’t want to step in it, or even see it if you can help it.”
Goose droppings can also carry pathogens, which assist in the spread of diseases such as e.coli, listeria, salmonella and giardia.
Ainsworth said he hopes to offer this service to homeowners associations, golf courses, restaurants near the water and anyone else plagued by these animals.
Pet care and more
In addition to waste removal services, Doggy Doody Patrol also offers dog walking, pet sitting and pet food delivery services.
In an effort to cause less strain on animals, and to help avoid costly boarding services, Ainsworth developed an at-home pet sitting service that allows you to check in on your best friend whenever you’d like.
“Basically, we’ll go into the client’s home and provide a comfortable environment for the pet,” he said. “That way, it doesn’t have to go to any pricey dog kennel or shelter for any length of time.”
Although the price of services like these may be worth the money to pet owners, Ainsworth said you don’t know exactly what level of care your animal will get while you’re away.
“When you’re pet sitting, we can break it down one on one, and even if they have two or three pets, we can give each pet the attention they need and deserve,” he said. “That way the customer can check in with me, and me only, and it’s in their own home. So they can call, or just come home whenever they want, so they don’t have to worry about business hours or anything like that.”
The business also looks to cater to elderly or disabled pet owners, who may not be able to haul heavy bags of dog food into their home.
For the price of the bag of food, plus a $10 delivery fee, the Doggy Doody Patrol will go to the store of the customer’s choice to buy the type of food their furry friend likes to eat.
“If someone can’t lift or handle these large quantities of food, we’ll go to the store of their choice, where we’ll ask, ‘hey, what type of food does your pet enjoy?'” Ainsworth said. “They’ll tell us, we’ll pick up the food for them, deliver it to their house and get everything squared away. That way, if it’s, say an 85-year-old woman, she doesn’t have to make numerous trips each week to the pet store, just to feed her dogs or cats.”
Although pet waste removal is the main focus of the company, Ainsworth hopes to capitalize on their additional services offered as they grow.
“It’s really exciting, I’m really curious to see where this takes us,” he said.
For pricing information, and to view the various pet services offered, visit the Doggy Doody Patrol website at doggydoodypatrol.com, or email Dustin Ainsworth at [email protected]. To keep up with the latest offers, and to see some of their four-legged-friends, like them on Facebook, or give them a follow on Instagram.
Get in touch with Reporter Cory Mannion: follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or send an email at [email protected].
