S P OT L I G H T
Smelly Service Adam and Alisha Johnson are grateful for their Doody Defense clients By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
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dam and Alisha Johnson feel for their customers. The Anthem couple who founded Doody Defense Pet Services are animal lovers who just want what’s best for their clients. They clean animal waste from customers’ back yards, but it goes beyond that. The Johnsons watch animals in their clients’ or their own homes. They rid backyards of pet odors and custom build crates. The couple even educates their clients. “Most of our competitors are in and out of back yards in 10 minutes,” Adam says. “Our average is 15 to 45 minutes, depending on what we’re walking into. We built the value of the business. We see trash in a back yard or front yard, we clean the trash. We sweep the rocks. “If we feel like your patio needs to be rinsed, we’ll do it for free. If there’s a dog bowl that’s empty, we’ll fill it with water. If a dog is digging a hole, we’ll fill the hole. I mean, I’m already there. It just takes me a minute to go the extra mile.” Brad Maher and Adam Johnson demonstrate how they clean backyards through Doody Defense Pet Services.
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85085 | APRIL 2020
Doody Defense Pet Services covers a wide swath of the North and Northwest Valley, including Anthem, Peoria, Surprise, North Phoenix and Scottsdale. They offer free quotes on the first visit and complimentary deodorizer treatments with pet waste removal services.
‘Crazy’ venture
Native Arizonans, the Johnsons started the business in January 2017 because of their passion for animals. “For me, we had 20 cats. My parents were hippyish. Our animals were named Foxy Lady and Santana. That’s where our passion comes from,” Adam says. Alisha adds, “We’ve always had a ton of animals—cats, dogs, turtles, guinea pigs, chickens and ducks. You name it we had it.” Adam perfected his customer service skills working in a big-box grocery store since he was 18. He worked his way up to management because of his friendly nature. “During those years, I would see customers come in all the time,” says Adam, whose family moved to Anthem in 2007. “My focus was customer service, which I implement into the business today. “I noticed pet people spend so much money on their pets. I would talk to customers about
Adam Johnson founded Doody Defense Pet Services with his wife, Alisha.
their dogs and cats. Eventually, I looked at my wife and said, ‘I want to start our own business—a pet waste service company.’ She said she had my back 100%. I didn’t know it would explode the way it did.” Adam laughs when he thinks about the naysayers who thought the couple was crazy for starting a company like this. “I would never get frustrated when people would ask me those questions,” he says. “I would instead get excited because I knew there was a need. I had a vision. I also knew I wanted to offer a wide variety of pet services, including educating our clients on the importance of having a healthy, clean backyard. “For example, did you know one gram of fecal matter can carry 23 million bacteria? The diseases can spread from the back yard into a house. The most rewarding thing is when I hear from those who said I was crazy and today they are like, ‘Wow, who knew?’” They specialize in treating backyard odors, especially at homes with artificial turf. “The pet urine gets trapped under the turf and the heat and the rain brings up the odor,” he says. “We were buying over-the-counter deodorizer for $30 a gallon, trying to get rid of the odors. It wasn’t working. Quickly, I realized we had to come up with our own plan. My wife did a lot of studying. We use natural deodorizer that’s 100% effective.” Doody Defense Pet Services also pet sits. Adam says they treat animals as their own. “People spend thousands of dollars for pet sitting,” Alisha adds. “We make it affordable
