By Jared Janzen
BURRTON—Jack Redinger and Beckett Schmucker started a business last week doing a job that you probably don’t want to do.
The two Burrton boys now offer a service of picking up dog poop from people’s yards. They call themselves the Doodie Dudes.
“They were just brainstorming on what simple chore they could do that’s fit for their age,” Jack’s mom, Molly, said. “We had two pooper scoops at our house, so I figured one for each of them. They’re hard workers. They like to work.”
Jack is six-and-a-half and will be starting first grade this month, while Beckett is five-and-a-half and will be a kindergartner. When asked if picking up poop was fun, the boys didn’t exactly have an enthusiastic response. Jack did agree, however, that it was hard work and can be stinky.
“The wet ones are the hardest,” Molly said.
“And the ones that are dry,” smashed into the ground, Jack added.
The boys did seven yards last week, including four in Burrton. On Friday, they took a trip to Newton and Hesston for another three customers. A couple of the yards so far have had lots of poop.
“[One customer] had two small dogs, so there was a lot of little poop in the yard, but then the one that you guys just did had a German Shepherd, so it had a lot of bigger piles,” Molly said.
Jack added their poop bucket felt heavier after that yard.
When they arrive at a yard with their pooper-scoopers, they start out by ringing the doorbell and asking a question.
“Can we pooper scoop your yard?” Beckett said.
They then use a methodical strategy of crisscrossing the yard to make sure they scan every foot for poop.
“We go straight, then we go over, then we go back,” Beckett said.
“They’re still learning how to not just freelance around the yard but to do a methodical line,” Molly said.
Beckett added that they go back over the yard a second time to check for anything they missed. It usually takes them about 30 minutes per yard.
They even haul off the poop to throw it away.
“It’s all in the back of my van right now,” Molly said, since they had just finished the yards in Newton and Hesston.
Beckett said the drive home hadn’t been stinky, but Jack said it kind of was.
“It’s not too bad,” Molly said.
The boys make sure to never go inside a customer’s house so they don’t track any unwelcome footprints inside. Jack admitted that he did “kind of” step in a pile of poop one time.
“They’re so tiny and they’re so wet,” he defended himself.
“They camouflaged,” Beckett added.
The boys’ favorite part, not surprisingly, is receiving their payment afterward. They split their profits evenly. Beckett wasn’t sure what he’ll do with his share, but Jack said he’s saving for an Xbox. He’s combining his money with his older sister’s and they’re already about halfway to their goal.
Saving that money might be hard to do, though, since they both already spent some at a garage sale they went to after work. Beckett got a Nerf gun and Jack got a scooter.
The boys charge 25 cents per pile, with a $5 minimum fee. In addition to serving Burrton, Molly said they’re willing to go to other towns in Harvey County or to Hutchinson if they can at least get a couple yards there per drive.
To request the Doodie Dude’s services, contact Molly Redinger at 316-833-8360 or message her on Facebook.
