Like a highly organized army, Dale Roberts and his 16-year-old son, Marcus Benning, systematically walk back and forth across a Grovetown yard carrying small rakes and buckets searching for pet waste.

Nothing is left unturned as any questionable mound of dirt is poked and prodded.

On this run, the "scooping technicians," as they call themselves, have netted a fair amount of dog poo.

This niche job has been a successful venture for Mr. Roberts, who owns Doggie Biz Pet Waste Removal with his wife, Emel. Their first day was May 16.

"This pooper scooper thing is new to the area but it's all over the country. Business is picking up every day," he said, explaining that his wife might have to leave her day job in order to take care of the new business.

The company visits about 13 houses a week. Most yards are straightforward, but Mr. Roberts remembers one that was dirtier than the norm.

"There was so much pine straw in the yard that if I raked it up into the bag, I was getting all straw and no waste, so I had to put on gloves and scoop it up by hand," he said.

Once the waste in the bag, he uses builder's-grade lime to help mask the odor before placing it into the "honey bucket," a plastic bin in the bed of his truck that contains the feces until it can be properly disposed of at the landfill.

Depending on the number of dogs in a yard, the cost can be as low as $10 for one dog once a week, or as high as $25 for four dogs three times a week.

If customers prefer scooping their own yards but would rather not have to dispose of the waste themselves, Doggie Biz offers a waste bucket pickup program.

It also offers cat litter exchange one to three times a week.

In addition to those who just don't want to deal with their pets' waste, Mr. Roberts said, there are health reasons associated with avoiding pet feces, which can contain parasites and bacteria.

"Some people have physical problems and can't do it themselves, and pregnant women shouldn't be messing with Kitty Litter," he said.