How to choose a pooper scooper service

Updated October 1, 2026

Hiring someone to pick up after your dog is a small decision with a few hidden details. A good service is reliable, closes your gate, and doesn't bring anything from the last yard into yours. Here are the questions worth asking any company, including us, along with what's behind each one and how pricing usually works.

1. How do you handle my gate?

This is the question that matters most. A missed spot on the lawn is a nuisance. An open gate can be a lost dog. Ask:

Do you check the latch every time you leave?
What do you do if the gate is locked, or if a dog is in the yard you weren't expecting?
Will you ever let a dog out of the house or yard? The right answer is no.
Do you show me proof the gate was closed?

A clear, written gate policy is a good sign. So is a company that says it won't enter a yard when something seems off.

2. Do you disinfect tools and boots between yards?

Scoopers go from yard to yard, and some dog diseases travel the same way. Canine parvovirus is the big one. The University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program notes that parvo can survive for many years in damp, shaded soil. Maddie's Fund says it can persist in organic material for over a year. Giardia cysts can survive for months in soil or water, according to Purdue Extension, and dogs can shed them while looking perfectly healthy.

So ask what they clean with, and when. The disinfectant matters. The UW guidance recommends accelerated hydrogen peroxide for parvo. It notes that many quaternary ammonium products labeled for parvo have done poorly in independent testing, and that bleach is weakened by organic material. You don't need a chemistry lecture from your scooper, but you do want a specific answer. "We spray everything" isn't one.

3. Are you insured?

Ask for proof of general liability insurance. People will be walking your yard every week, around your gate, sprinklers and dogs, and you want accidents covered by someone other than you. A legitimate company can send a certificate without fuss.

4. How will I know you came?

Most of the time you won't be home, so ask what kind of proof you get after each visit: an email, a photo, a timestamp. Photo proof is the most useful, because it answers both questions at once: did they come, and is the gate shut?

Also ask about missed spots. DoodyCalls, a national franchise, says on its Los Angeles page that it comes back free if something is missed. That's a reasonable standard to expect from anyone.

5. Is there a contract, and how do I cancel?

Many services don't require one. DoodyCalls says it doesn't require contracts or commitments, for example. If a company does want a contract, read the cancellation terms, the notice period, and what happens to prepaid visits. Also ask how vacations work. Can you pause without a fee, and how much notice do they need?

6. How does pricing work?

Pricing structures are more consistent than the prices themselves. Most services price on some mix of:

Number of dogs. More dogs, more to pick up.
How often. Weekly visits usually cost less per visit than every other week, because there's less to clean each time.
Yard size and terrain. A flat, small lawn takes minutes. A terraced half-acre with ivy can take much longer.
Time since the last cleanup. Pet Butler, for instance, says it prices by number of dogs, the last cleanup date and frequency. Expect a one-time catch-up charge if the yard has been waiting a while.
Add-ons like deodorizing, turf treatment or hauling the waste away.

Published prices are rarer than you'd think, and many companies quote individually. Prices also vary a lot by region. A DoodyCalls franchise in Denver, for example, posts $13.25 per visit for yards under half an acre, while the company's Los Angeles location quotes each yard. When comparing quotes, compare the same things: visit frequency, number of dogs, what's included, and whether billing is per visit, per week or per month.

7. Where does the waste go?

Every city in the South Bay and on the Peninsula treats bagged dog waste as trash. Ask whether the service bags it and leaves it in your trash cart, or hauls it away. If it goes in your cart, it should never go in the green or blue cart. Our city-by-city guide has the details for each city.

A few smaller things worth asking

Will the same day and time window hold every week?
How do you get in touch with me, and how fast do you reply?
What happens in rain or extreme heat?
Do you tell me if you notice a broken fence board, a sprinkler leak, or a change in my dog's waste that might be worth mentioning to a vet?
Who actually does the work: the owner, an employee, or a subcontractor?

How we answer these

Since we wrote the questions, here are our answers. Doody Diligence posts its prices on the home page, with weekly visits from $29 and 20% off for tiny yards. We latch every gate and email a photo, sanitize tools and boots between yards, and come back free if we miss something. There's no contract, and you can pause or cancel anytime. If another service is a better fit for your yard, we'd still rather you ask all seven questions than none.

City pages

Dog waste removal in Palos Verdes Estates · Dog waste removal in Rancho Palos Verdes · Dog waste removal in Manhattan Beach · Dog waste removal in Redondo Beach · Dog waste removal in Torrance