NWI dog-waste removal company owner turns a ‘crappy’ job into a thriving biz - Free View

No, he’s not a crackerjack news reporter. Or an ice cream vendor. Noonan’s company, Region Scoopers, goes yard-to-yard removing dog waste.

As many Region jokesters remind him constantly, it’s the "crappiest" job one can take on, and Noonan loves it.

Or at least, he loves owning his own business.

“Growing up, I always wanted to own something,” Noonan said. “I didn’t think it would be poop-and-scoop, but some kind of business. I saw the drive from my mom growing up. She took care of me and my brother, doing everything she can, working a full-time job and two others as well. Seeing her hustle pushed me to have the same drive.”

Region Scoopers employs seven full-time technicians and two office administrators; Noonan has created a Region empire of poop-cleanup that extends from Hammond to Chesterton and everywhere in between.

Each technician cleans around 25 yards a day, and each week, Region Scoopers is cleaning up 750 yards around NWI.

During a recent day on the job, Noonan and a Scoopers technician, Sam Angotti, were working a neighborhood just south of the Lake County Fairgrounds.

While the clients’ dogs may have been haphazard in doing their business, Noonan and his team were methodical and meticulous in their work.

“The best way to work a yard is to do a grid-like pattern,” Noonan said. “We call it the ‘gridlock’ system. Up and down, left and right. Otherwise you are walking aimlessly trying to find some waste in the yard. It’s like mowing the lawn.”

There is also a surprisingly crucial role Noonan and his team play as an impromptu diagnostic team for their clients canines: Dog waste is often one of the primary indicators for various health concerns.

“We do check the quality (of the waste),” Noonan said. “If we notice abnormalities in the waste, we alert owners right away we found something wrong. Those are key signs a dog is getting sick.”

More than one client’s dog has been able to get medication they need via Noonan’s early alert system.

Even healthy dog poop is not, as some believe, a good fertilizer. In fact, Noonan can tell dog “hot spots” from dead patches in a yard, where the poop has actually prevented grass from growing.

Dog waste is also not the only thing one finds in a large suburban yard.

This time of year, Noonan notes, baby bunny nests are an extremely common find.

Noonan noted he found a dead possum in a yard (but how did he know it wasn’t just … playing possum??).

“I found a baby turtle this week. It was so cute,” Angotti said. “I tried to get it out of the yard. I was like, ‘The dog will eat you!’ But then it kept trying to come back in.”

There is also the stray personal belonging: keys, rings, other items the homeowner might have thought had disappeared.

But the most welcome yard visitor during their cleanups are probably the dogs themselves, who often make a guest celebrity appearance.

“It’s always the highlight of our day when the dogs, the friendly ones, are outside,” Angotti said. “You can pet them, play with them.”

The dogs also have a sense of (comedic) timing and many have seemingly figured out it’s an opportune time to add to the yard pile while Region Scoopers is there.

“It’s pretty common,” Noonan said. “When the dog is out, they know. ‘Hey, the Region Scooper is here, while we got ‘em, let’s do our thing.’ I think it’s perfect timing on their part.”

Noonan did grow up with dogs in his home, although ironically he currently lives with two cats.

Thankfully, it sounds like there are no hoarders on the Region Scoopers beat, although at least one client has eight dogs, which Noonan confirmed is a lot of poop to clean up after.

The future of Region Scoopers is NOT goose poop — that’s a different sanitizing process, Noonan noted — but Noonan is hoping to be able to create a series of YouTube videos to help instruct dog owners and scoopers. Noonan himself said he learned some tips for the business via similar online tutorials.

“I’d love to consult other dog scoopers throughout the nation,” Noonan said. “Help them grow their business.”

Locally, Noonan said he hopes to be able to become a tri-state company, moving across to towns like Lansing on the Illinois state line, and in the other direction, up to New Buffalo and southwest Michigan.

For now, Noonan said he is living the dream.

“It doesn’t feel real almost,” Noonan side. “I stumbled upon this idea and figured, hey, why not, just give it a shot. It’s been an amazing ride ever since.”

Readers can learn more about Region Scoopers at regionscoopers.com, and can find Noonan's database of NWI dog-friendly restaurants at regionscoopers.com/pawsandplates.