Jennifer Mignano's Labrador retrievers, Jake and Gracie, run and play in their Boynton Beach back yard.

"When you have two big dogs, every time you go outside you know there's going to be a job," said Mignano, who noticed her neighbor had a service called Scoop da Poo Dog Waste Removal Service and decided to try it about three months ago.

Owner Scott Chapman of Boca Raton cleans her yard three times a week.

"Everybody laughs when they hear we have [Scoop da Poo], but it's the nicest service and it's not even that expensive," Mignano said.

Fred Queller, whose black Labrador retrievers, Sam and Sniffles, run and play in his Delray Beach back yard, saw an advertisement for Scoop da Poo Dog Waste Removal Service about a year ago.

He hired Scott to clean his yard six days a week.

"He does a very nice job," Queller said. "He's very unobtrusive. He comes, he cleans up and he goes."

Chapman, 43, was working as a chef, but grew tired of the long hours and wanted a change. He tried working at a golf course. But one day his wife, who subscribes to an Internet message board for greyhound owners, found a message from a woman who said she had a scooper.

A light bulb clicked on in Chapman's head.

Scoop da Poo was formed in June 2003, and Chapman's phone rang for the first time seven months later.

He now serves 73 customers from Boca Raton to Boynton Beach, but will drive as far south as Deerfield Beach.

The fee starts at $12 for once-a-week service. Chapman visits most yards once a week, a few six days a week and 25 percent of the homes twice a week. That's about 100 yards a week and 30 hours of work, not including the time spent on paperwork. Chapman uses a dustpan and a 6-inch rake to do the job.

"I could probably double the customer base before I need to hire anybody," he said.

The majority of dog owners who hire Chapman have big dogs, with the exception of a couple that has pugs and a teacup Yorkshire terrier, he said.

Chapman takes about 300 to 400 pounds of dog excrement a week to the Palm Beach County landfill.

"At first, they wondered where I'm getting it all," Chapman said. "When they see the signs on the truck, they just shake their heads and laugh and ask, `People pay you to do that?'

"If I didn't think of starting the business, I'd definitely pay for it."

He has even spotted health problems in his customers' pets.

"I also look for abnormalities. ... Several times I spotted tapeworms. The customer got their pet to the vet right away and it was treated," he said.

Chapman said he also looks for debris, such as roofing nails, especially after hurricanes.

The Chapmans own four retired racing greyhounds, but one is missing. She is pictured on his Web site www.scoopdapoo.com. Chapman said he is considering starting a nonprofit organization to help locate lost pets.

"Being my own boss, meeting nice people and getting to meet a lot of dogs," Chapman said, are what he likes best about his work.

There's another company in Jupiter serving the northern sections of Palm Beach County called Scoop De Doo, which incorporated nine days before Scoop da Poo, according to Chapman.

Chapman said he averages four to five new customers a month.

Rae Kotler, 49, of Boca Raton, has used the service for close to a year. She owns Diva, a Rottweiler, Gunner, a Shiloh shepherd and Sheba, a Labrador shepherd.

"It can get quite nasty in my back yard," Kotler said. "It was really disgusting.

"I never knew somebody like Scott existed. He'll come as many days a week as you want. He's got eagle eyes. He sees it all, and he's so nice. I feel blessed that I have him."

For information, call 561-241-0133, or go to www.scoopdapoo.com.