We recently connected with Cheresee Rehart and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cheresee , thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

In late 2002 or 2003 I was watching a game show on TV called I’ve Got a Secret. The idea of the game show was to guess the contestants secret. The contestant I saw on the show was Tim Stone Sr. of Scoop Masters, in California. Tim’s secret was that he was a professional pooper scooper. It was right then the idea was born in my head. Tim had talked about different aspects of his scooping business and I thought to myself, I can do that!!! My business Yard Guards On Doody, LLC . was formed in June of 2003. I came up with the business name and the slogan, We take CRAP…Seriously!!! (Others have since copied my slogan.) I did not get my first client until September of 2003. We will be celebrating 20 years in business next month! I have never looked back! My company cleans up dog poop and hauls it away. We definitely are solving a problem. Dog waste left on the ground gets into the water table contaminating it with nitrogen and phosphorus which can deplete oxygen that wildlife and fish need to survive. It also encourages the growth of harmful algae and bacteria.
When I started my business there was no categories in the phone book or anywhere else to advertise a poop scooping company. There was no Facebook or Youtube yet either. The poop scooping industry has come a long, long way since then!
I am proud to have been a member and board member of a non profit organization called aPaws.org. Their mission is to promote that there are pooper scoopers to pick up the poop. I have been a member since 2003, and went on the become the Vice President, then the President for two years, then the Vise President again. The organization has conventions in different parts of the United States. Scooping Companies come from all over. This year we will be in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Scooping companies come to talk shop, learn new things and compete for the title of fastest scooper in the nation. I am proud to say I have been fasted in the nation twice. First place in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009 and first place in 2019 in Sarasota, Florida. The best part for me about aPaws is that Tim Stone (The scooper I saw on TV) was one of the founders of aPaws and has served as treasurer since the beginning. It has always delighted me to meet with him in person at the conventions and to have served on the board with him as well.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Yard Guards On Doody Poop Scooping Service, is currently family owned and operated, employing my son and son in law. We provide pet poop cleanup and sanitizing service for residential yards, commercial properties cleaning and supplying dog waste stations, dog parks veterinary offices etc. We are also very proud that since 2012, we have been the official pooper scooper for the Tampa Bay Ray’s Dog Day Event they have twice a year. For the past couple of years of the Dog Day Event for the Rays, we have teamed up with ByByPoo from Pinellas County to teach them the ropes, so they can take over should anything happen to us.

We are also proud of the fact that we have given back to the community by fundraising and through aPaws to supply the Hillsborough County Florida with 15 tailor made bullet proof vests for the Sheriff K’9s. Through aPaws and fundraising we have also supplied 48 sets of pet oxygen masks (Snout shaped) to the Hillsborough County Fire Departments. One for every truck at the time. Before they only had people shaped masks that were flat.

Yard Guards On Doody has also cleaned up tons of garbage on three different stretches of roadway in Hillsborough County.

On of my proudest accomplishments is being awarded Small Business of the Year from The Brandon Chamber of Commerce in 2014.

Through the years we have been grateful to have received 13 different awards. They include Small business of the Year, 3 small business of the year finalists, 2 1st place Fastest Scooper in the Nation, 4 awards from Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, 1 from the Hillsborough County Sheriff K9’s, 1 from the Hillsborough County Fire Department and 1 from the Tampa Bay Times for Excellence in Marketing. Who knows what we can accomplish next!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

When I first started my company there were very few other scooping companied in the nation. To me it did not matter that I was scooping up dog poop, I loved what I was doing and still do! Since I was in the forefront of the scooping industry, I have personally helped countless other companies with their scooping businesses. Some of them from the ground up! Now that 20 years has passed there are numerous scooping companies all over the United States and a Broad. I sit back and watch the newer companies help the newcomers. I am now learning things myself from the newer companies. Because of helping others in the scooping industry and being a member and board member of aPaws.org I have earned a great reputation in the scooping community.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One of the hardest things in my business was early on when there were so few other companies, I had to deal with a ton more driving than I do now. We covered all of Hillsborough County, parts of Pinellas County and parts of Pasco County. I am so happy to be able to work well with my “competition” (friends) so that I can head clients their way, should we not be able to service them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.RUFF-JOB.com
• Facebook: Yard Guards On Doody

Image Credits
The additional pictures that were not my personal photo were of the last Dog Day at the Rays Event on April 23rd. They were all taken by me, or with my camera phone.