scooping technician. The job title of someone designated to clean up dog droppings, sometimes called a professional pooper scooper.

If you already pay someone to walk your dog, isn't scooping part of the package? Or do you pay the scooper to follow you as you walk the dog, no doubt at a discreet distance? Actually the scooping technician does neither of these. He or she cleans your lawn or your kennel. As one satisfied customer of Sgt. Poopers says, “We don't like taking chances with the health of our baby but due to busy schedules, it was not always practical to scoop daily. Sgt Pooper takes care of the problem and has made a tremendous difference in the beauty and cleanliness of our yard. Their service has been totally automatic, hands-off and trouble-free.”

The American Dialect Society voted this term the Most Euphemestic Word of the Year 2008, beating out “age doping” and “thought showers.”

1. Barrett, Grant. 2008. Catchword: Scooping Technician. Double Tongued Dictionary. Accessed Jan 8 2009 from http:// www.doubletongued.org/ index.php/ citations/ scooping_technician_1/.

2. H., W. 2008. Dog Waste Removal. Sgt. Poopers. Accessed Jan 8 2009 from http://www.sgt-poopers.com/ dog-waste-removal.html.

Figure 2 shows an actual scooping technician at work. Used by permission of Erica Eason at Sgt. Poopers.