Scooper's business is picking up

VIRGINIA BEACH

Shawn Knighten isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. But then, it isn't his hands that get dirty.

Knighten is "Dapoooman," a professional poop scooper, and he and his wife have one hard-and-fast rule: The shoes stay outside.

On Thursdays and Fridays, Knighten visits nearly two dozen clients' homes throughout Hampton Roads and removes dog droppings from their lawns. After only one month in business, he said two days per week are fully booked, at about $11 per stop.

For years, Knighten has had a notion of entrepreneurship. He's a disciple of positive thinking, incessantly reading inspirational authors such as Joel Osteen and Larry Winget. The idea for the business, he said, came to him in bed.

He's not the first to come up with the idea. Locally, there are other poop scoopers, with catchy monikers such as "Beyond the Call of Do-Dee" and "DoodyCalls." There's even a national association of scoopers, with annual meetings and clean-up competitions.

Knighten is making his mark through guerrilla advertising tactics. "Dapoooman" signs are stuck on power poles and in medians in certain areas of Virginia Beach.

For the record, Knighten doesn't scoop - technically. He flicks. It's all in the wrist. He uses a small rake and a long-handled dustpan to harvest his haul.

That's why Knighten dreads rain. And tall grass.

Different breeds bring their own challenges. A client in Kempsville has four Great Danes.

"I scoop twice and my pan is full," Knighten said. That yard takes 12 minutes to scoop; the average yard takes about seven minutes.

Last week, Knighten was crisscrossing a waterside yard in Bay Colony. The resident pooch, Nissa, favors the northwest corner of the yard, Knighten said.

When his dustpan is full, he dumps the contents into a 5-gallon paint bucket lined with a plastic garbage sack. When he leaves, he deposits the sack into the client's garbage can and squirts some bleach on it to neutralize any odors.

The Bay Colony homeowner, Dan Clarkson, said the service is a convenience he can afford. Of his own pooper scooper, he said: "It's retired. I threw it away."

The pervasive advertising has a downside, Knighten said: prank phone calls. Teenage boys find inspiration in Dapoooman. Knighten said he plays along, which frustrates them.

"You've got to put your pride aside. You've got to make a living; you've got to pay your bills," said Knighten, a father of 4- and 7-year-old daughters.

He said he's motivated by the prank calls, by the teasing. Watch where I'll be in five years, he tells himself, envisioning a squad of scoopers under his command. He hopes to abandon his other job, as a painting contractor. The 1992 Bayside High graduate and former Marine works 15- to 20-hour days.

Knighten's truck is scheduled to get a Dapoooman logo. He's having "We Scoop Poop" banners printed. He already has Dapoooman cups and magnets.

He said he enjoys the lack of stress the job offers, and the sense of satisfaction.

"I did something good for people," he said. "I cleaned up their poop, doggone it."

John Warren, (757) 222-5114, john.warren@pilotonline.com