Every fall in London, the maples drop their leaves and the backyard turns into a patchwork of orange, red and brown. It looks great from the kitchen window. It also does a very good job of hiding whatever your dog has left on the lawn since September.

If you have been meaning to get out there and scoop, the end of October is a good time to do it. Here is why, and what your options are.

Why leaves make dog poop harder to find

A dog poop that is easy to spot on green grass blends right in once it is the same colour as the leaf litter around it. Add a few more leaves on top every windy day and a spot you cleaned last week can be covered again by Friday.

That makes it easy to miss things when you do a quick walk around the yard. It also makes it easy to step in them, and to rake them. Raking a yard that has not been scooped first means dragging waste across the lawn and into the pile you are about to bag.

Why it matters before winter

Once snow arrives, the yard goes out of sight for months. Anything left behind in the fall gets covered, and it is still there when things thaw. Our spring yard cleanup exists for exactly that situation: clearing the winter buildup after the snow melts. It is a much bigger job than it needs to be when a fall cleanup was skipped.

A clean yard going into winter gives you a fresh start in spring. You are not facing a whole season of buildup at once, and the grass has a better chance to recover.

A quick fall checklist

Before the first snow, a few small steps help:

Walk the yard slowly, looking at the ground rather than ahead of you. Pay attention to the spots your dog uses most: along fences, under trees and near the back door.
Scoop before you rake. Get the waste out first, then deal with the leaves.
Check the corners and flower beds. Dogs like to go where they feel tucked away, and those are the spots that get missed.
Make sure the gate latches properly so your dog stays where you want them while you work.
Look again after the next windfall. Fresh leaves can cover a spot you missed.

When it is worth getting help

Some yards are simple to check. Others are large, have lots of trees, or have more than one dog, and the leaves make a long job even longer. If the yard has not been scooped in a while, or you are just not sure what is under the leaf pile, a one-time yard cleanup gives you a clear starting point before winter.

Here is what a visit looks like with us:

You get a text when we are on our way.
We scoop the yard, corner to corner, and bag the waste.
We close and latch the gate and send you a photo of it.

If your dog uses the yard every day, you might also look at recurring poop scooping, so the yard does not build up again between visits. Many customers start with one cleanup and then decide whether regular visits suit them.

What affects the price

We give you a quote before any work starts. The things that change it are:

the size of your yard
the number of dogs
how long it has been since the last cleanup
how often you want us to come

A yard under a thick layer of leaves is not automatically a bigger job. The amount of waste matters more than the number of leaves. Tell us about your yard in the quote form and we will explain what we would do.

Timing

The sooner the better. Once the leaves are down and before the first real snowfall, the yard is still easy to work in. After that, things get harder to see and harder to reach. If you are not sure what you will find under the leaves, that is a fair reason to book.

Ready for a clean yard before the snow? Get a quote and tell us a bit about your yard. We will reply with the next steps.