'I quit my stressful job to pick up dog poo – now I earn five times my old salary'

An animal enthusiast has revealed how she managed to get on the property ladder — thanks to picking up dog poo . Emma Garner, 45, has explained how she was able to purchase her £195,000 four-bed semi-detached home with the earnings she has made scooping up dog mess . She launched her pet waste and care business — The Dog Poo Professionals — in 2014, before going full-time in 2016 after choosing to leave her 9-to-5 role as a claims assessor, a position she had held for 11 years. Over the past decade, the animal lover has revealed she now earns more than four times her previous salary at the law firm — which stood at £20,000 — with her income now reaching the high five figures. Emma says she is completely booked up, serving hundreds of clients across the West and South Yorkshire areas on a weekly basis. Her rates begin at £14 a week for one dog, with an additional £4 per extra dog. Emma, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, describes the role as the 'best thing she has ever decided to do'. She said: "Picking up poo has changed my life. It has given me a great work-life balance and no stress, which was something I was dreaming of when I was at my law job. "It has also enabled me to buy a house and be financially free, which I never dreamed of. Luckily, I have scooped it all of my life owning dogs and horses so I was lucky I didn't have to get used to it. I'd say the worst thing about the job is long grass as it means you have to go fishing for it, which isn't good - especially if they have a runny bum." Emma launched the venture after finding her previous role unbearably "stressful". Before handing in her notice, she had already begun exploring the idea of setting up her own scooping business and had secured a handful of clients she visited during her free time. "I saw an article about a man in America that had a dog-poo-picking business and I couldn't get the idea out of my head. I put on add on Facebook and within 10 minutes I had my first customer. "The first job I did was a big one, the garden hadn't been sorted in a long time. I did think to myself, 'God, what have I got myself into', but it really wasn't that bad once I got started." Despite being reassured her position at the law firm was secure, Emma received an unexpected phone call on her day off confirming she was being made redundant. Rather than being defeated, she seized upon her redundancy as the perfect opportunity to throw herself into her dog-poo-picking business full-time. Emma said: "Picking up poo has never bothered me. I now have hundreds of customers from across Yorkshire from all backgrounds and it's given me so much more freedom." Emma now works a third of her previous hours yet earns four times as much. She said: "It has given me a great work-life balance and no stress, which wasn't the case with the law job." Emma is also keen to challenge the notion that her clients are idle or irresponsible pet owners, pointing out that many have complex personal needs. She said: "It annoys me when people assume that my customers are just lazy. "I visit people that are in wheelchairs, have terminally ill children, people who have a broken leg, visually impaired, pregnant, elderly people. Even surgeons and beauty therapists that want to keep their hands as clean as possible for work - it all boils down to your situation and your preferences. I have someone clean my car because I absolutely hate doing it." Emma presently provides pet nail trimming services as well. She is now seeking to bring on a new team member to allow her to semi-retire.