Merced dog waste removal business is scooping up success. Meet Tha Bomb Squad

The idea for a side business hit Devin Picton as he was in his backyard cleaning up after his four dogs. Who knew operating a pooper scooper could lead to a business plan?

Picton, 33, usually pays his daughter to complete, but he started thinking maybe other people would pay for that service.

Just like that, Tha Bomb Squad was born.

Picton and his wife Tiffany wanted to think outside the box during this era where it’s common for people to have a side hustle, like driving for a ride share company, landscaping or food delivery.

No yard has proven too messy for Picton’s dog waste removal service. The Pictons are doing their part to keep Merced, Atwater and Winton clean and fresh one backyard at a time.

With Devin working full time in IT, Tiffany does most of the work as the dog waste technician.

Armed with tools for the trade, Tha Bomb Squad offers weekly and monthly rates, based on the number of dog,s for clients who live in their service area of Merced, Atwater and Winton.

“I don’t like scooping, so I figured a lot of other people don’t like it either, or they just don’t have time for it,” Picton said. “That’s how it kind of started.”

Picton and his wife are dog lovers so it made sense to choose something involving animals.

When Devin Picton began searching side jobs, starting a dog waste removal business seemed like a good fit.

One of the big reasons was it’s inexpensive to get the business off the ground. Picton spent about $250 for the tools they needed, including customer relationship management software.

Picton started the business in November and used social media to promote it. He joined animal/pet related groups on Facebook. He also launched a website and posted fliers.

Their ThaBomb Squad Facebook page has about 1,200 followers. Picton says they have seven clients signed up for regular service. They’ve also offer one-time clean-ups for clients.

“We’ve had really good reactions to all of our clients,” said Picton. “We’ve had them pretty much since the beginning. I think the first client that we got was in December, and they’re still with us.”

When Picton started the business he thought the majority of his clients might be older or disabled pet owners, but he’s received most of his business with people who just don’t have the time to clean up their yards.

So far, everything has run smoothly. He or his wife haven’t been chased off by dogs.

As part of their terms of service, clients must make sure their dogs are restrained while they are working so he’s had no run-ins with unfriendly pets.

Picton said he hopes the business will grow into a full-time job. He said they may expand to add dog walking services.

“Once we get a big enough client base, I want to be able to do that,” Picton said. “I want to be able to start donating to some of the charities around here for stray dogs, animal shelters, vet clinics, stuff like that. I just want to be able to put give back into the community.”