Piling up filthy lucre

New service handles the least pleasant part of pet ownership for you, proving that waste is not a terrible thing to mind.Christian Acedillo is hoping to be No. 1 in the number two business.

With the help of his young brother and a former employee, the 27-year-old self-described “entre-manure” is launching a pet droppings pickup business and hopes to dive head-first into a big pile -- of money, that is.

Teaming up with Texas start-up Pet Butler, Acedillo is opening the company’s first California franchise.

Where others smell last night’s table scraps, Acedillo smells opportunity.

“When people first adopt a pet, the No. 1 concern is who is going to clean up after it,” he said during an interview at Costa Mesa’s Bark Park.

“That’s where I come in. I’ll do the dirty work.”

It’s a simple enough idea: For about $10 a visit, Acedillo or one of his employees will come to the house, collect all the animal droppings in the yard and dispose of it off-site. “It’s not exactly rocket science,” he said, explaining that he also offers some lawn treatment work to repair patches of grass damaged by urine, as well as special treatments that can encourage or discourage pets from doing their business in certain places.

The new venture is one of a handful of pet pickup services operating in Orange County.

The Poop Butler offers pet cleanup along with dog-walking, while the national Pet Sitters chains offers traditional pet pickup services combined with more intensive pet care and supervision.

The Pet Butler plans to expand its line of offerings; the corporate office is finalizing a merger with one of North America’s largest pet-walking services.

As for overhead, Acedillo said he maintains low costs by using the company’s national calling center, which dispatches workers using the company’s own proprietary software system, known as ARF.

To keep track of its vehicle fleet, the Pet Butler has built a Web-to-mobile tracking system called Poop-net.

“The corporate office likes to make lots of jokes,” Acedillo said.

“It keeps everyone from getting so serious about poop. You have to laugh about it.”

Acedillo thinks his biggest customers will be busy families and young professionals who don’t have the time, or desire, to pick up after their cats and dogs.

Pet shop owner August Court said he was skeptical.

“I can’t imagine it would be a good business, because if anyone could afford to do that, they would have a housekeeper or gardener pick up after their dog,” he said.

Acedillo, undeterred, estimated that if he was able to generate a few hundred clients in the first year -- and watch where he stepped -- he could make a clean living.

“Most people hate poop,” he said. “Just the thought of it brings a smile to my face.”20060130itvp84ncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Christopher Acedillo, center, with Ryam Galang and Christian Acedillo, founded Pet Butler, which offers to make your lawn a less dangerous place to walk.