Patty DiGiacobbe spends most of her days putting up with crap that most people don't want to deal with.

But she is not complaining. In fact, she says she is glad to do so.

That's because Mrs. DiGiacobbe is the owner and operator of Wholly Crap, a dog-waste removal service.

Mrs. DiGiacobbe says that for $8 for the first dog and $4 for each additional dog, she will come out to your property and remove doggie waste.

Her business is just over a year old.

She says she started her venture after seeing a similar one advertised on a Web site.

"I saw it, thought about it for a little while and went back to it. It was very inexpensive to start," she says.

She adds that she has a dog and has to clean up after it, so tidying up after other dogs isn't all that bad.

Mrs. DiGiacobbe says that when her husband first heard her idea, he thought "... I was crazy, but now he's excited about it. He's hoping it does well, too."

She says her job primarily consists of clearing excrement from her customers' front and back yards.

Mrs. DiGiacobbe says that she works four days a week and services about 50 customers in Mercer County and in Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage and Columbiana counties in Ohio.

Her clients' dogs range from tiny spaniels to bloodhounds and rottweilers.

Mrs. DiGiacobbe says her business really picked up when the snow melted and spring began.

She states that she has enjoyed seeing her business grow since last year.

"I had a lot of new customers start -- it's doubled since last fall. I'm hoping to pick up more customers because I have more advertising out," she says.

One of the most important aspects of Wholly Crap may be the fact that it helps the environment and increases public safety.

According to Wholly Crap's Web site, dog waste contains a variety of organisms -- including bacteria and parasites -- which could potentially harm humans, especially children.

Mrs. DiGiacobbe adds that fecal material from animals can also contaminate water supplies.

Some parasites found in dog feces can affect humans, such as ringworm and the parvo virus, which can cause shingles, she says.

Mrs. DiGiacobbe, who says she once worked on computers for a living, says that operating Wholly Crap gives her the chance to regularly do something that she really enjoys -- get outdoors.

"I just got tired of sitting at a computer all day," she says with a laugh. "I wanted to get out and about."

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Patrecka F. Adams at padams@sharonherald.com.